Family handoutThe parent company of Pontins holiday parks has been charged with corporate manslaughter after part of a ceiling at a Somerset resort collapsed on guests six years ago.
Eighteen people were injured at the Brean Sands site in February 2019 when a 40-metre section of structural ducting and ceiling fell inside an entertainment area.
Grandmother Wendy Jones, 68, was among six people taken to hospital following the incident. She died in August 2019.
ITVAvon and Somerset Police, together with Somerset Council, investigated and referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last year.
On Tuesday, the force said the CPS had authorised a charge of corporate manslaughter against Pontins’ parent company, Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd.
Stephen Bennison, 58, of Farington, Lancashire, has been charged with failing to discharge general health/safety duty to a person other than an employee under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Detective superintendent Roger Doxsey, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of Wendy Jones. We have updated them of the CPS’s charging decisions.
“This has been a complex investigation and we’re grateful for the support of Somerset Council and other partners to reach this stage.
“We would like to remind the public that every defendant in the UK is permitted to a fair trial. No commentary, materials or details should be published that could prejudice this court process while proceedings are ongoing.”
The defendants will appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court on May 6.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed at the time it had been called to reports of a section of ducting collapsing into the bar area of a building at the holiday park.
It said approximately 40 metres of structural ducting and ceiling sections had fallen, exposing live damaged electrics.
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