Fatal Accident Inquiry to begin into death of ten-year-old who fell down manhole

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the death of a ten-year-old boy who fell to his death down a manhole in 2020 will begin on Monday.

Shea Ryan died in July of that year when he climbed through an unsecured fence on a building site in in Drumchapel, Glasgow, and fell 20ft will trying to climb down the manhole.

FAIs are not held in order to attribute blame to any person or party, but instead aim to establish how similar accidents can be avoided in future.

The inquiry into Shea’s death is expected to run at Glasgow Sheriff Court until September 9.

RJ McLeod (Contractors) Ltd, the company responsible for the building site, was previously fined £800,000 for safety failures which led to the death.

The company was also ordered to pay a £60,000 victim surcharge.

In a statement released through legal firm Digby Brown, Shea’s mother Joanne Ferguson said: “I am glad RJ McLeod finally admitted guilt.

“My son is not here, and that destroys me every day.

“That totally avoidable accident has ruined my life and my kids’ lives. I don’t even feel human anymore at times because of the grief.

“I just hope this makes them consider site safety everywhere – not just for RJ McLeod but for companies everywhere because the safety of these places is so important.”