Fatal accident inquiry into outdoor activities deaths to take place next year

A joint Fatal Accident Inquiry into the deaths of a 12-year-old boy and a man who drowned during outdoor activities almost five years apart is to take place in March next year.

Kayden Walker, from Bridgeton, Glasgow, died after becoming trapped on the upstream side of a weir while on a day trip with the Church House community group.

He was separated from his board during a riverboarding session on the River Tay, near the village of Stanley, Perthshire, on July 28, 2019.

After being pulled from the water, he was airlifted to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and was then transferred to the Royal Hospital for Children at Glasgow, where he died on July 29.

The FAI follows the prosecution of Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Ltd in October 2024 for a contravention of health and safety legislation, which led to Kayden’s death. The company was fined £10,000.

Ruaridh Stevenson, 39, from Cupar, Fife, also drowned after trying to help a client who experienced difficulties in the waters flowing through Dollar Glen, Stirlingshire, on April 13, 2024.

Mr Stevenson was a director of a company which offered “canyoning” experiences on Scottish rivers.

A preliminary hearing for the Fatal Accident Inquiry took place at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

It heard that the Crown has asked an expert in Norway to prepare a report on matters of good practice in relation to canyoning and boarding, and on precautions that could have prevented the deaths.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Catherine Fraser told the hearing that Tim Davis, chief executive of outdoor activity company Troll Aktiv, will visit Dollar Glen later in September to view the place where Mr Stevenson died, having previously prepared a report for Perth and Kinross Council in relation to the circumstances of Kayden Walker’s death.

Ms Fraser said: “He has already had sight of the weir at Stanley Glen and has written a report on that.

“He is attending Dollar Glen on September 22 to view the locus and then draft an expert report to provide an opinion in relation to matters of good practice for canyoning and river boarding and a view of reasonable precautions that could have prevented the deaths of Mr Walker and Mr Stevenson.”

Church House, Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Ltd and National Trust for Scotland, landowner of Dollar Glen, will be represented at the inquiry.

Ms Fraser told the hearing that the FAI is expected to last around two weeks.

Sheriff Keith O’Mahony set a further preliminary hearing for November 17 at Falkirk Sheriff Court and fixed a date for the inquiry itself which will start on March 16 at the same court.

The families of Mr Stevenson and Kayden did not attend the preliminary hearing on Tuesday but are expected to be at the inquiry itself.

The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death, the circumstances in which the death occurred, and to establish what reasonable precautions could have been taken to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than apportion blame.

Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for the COPFS, previously said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the deaths of Ruaridh Stevenson and Kayden Walker occurred in similar circumstances, both deaths occurring while they were engaged in water-based outdoor activities.”