Devastated mum of boy who died on Scout trip says, like Post Office scandal, families face challenging battle for change
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The heartbroken mother of a 16-year-old boy who fell 200ft to his death while on a Scouts trip in Wales has launched a petition with three other grieving families calling on the Government to take action after a coroner ruled he was unlawfully killed.
Ben Leonard, 16, from Stockport, died of a serious head injury after falling off the Great Orme in Llandudno while on a three-day expedition with the Reddish Explorer Scouts from Stockport, Greater Manchester, on August 26 2018 after being left “unsupervised”.
Jackie Leonard, 54, said her son’s death had a “devastating impact” on her family and that the organisation needs to be regulated by an external body to be “made safe” and prevent more children from dying.
A jury inquest concluded that Ben had been “unlawfully killed” by the Explorer Scouts leader and assistant leader on February 22 2024 and found that neglect of the Scouts Association was a contributing factor.
Jackie has now joined forces with the families of Lee Craddock, Scott Fanning and Roy Thornton, who died on Scouting expeditions in 1995, 1998 and 1999 respectively, to demand the Government launch a public inquiry into the organisation’s “training and policies”, as well as establish an external regulator.
The association’s chief executive Matt Hyde announced last week that he will be stepping down after 11 years of service to head the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales but will remain in post until September 2024.
Jackie said that under Mr Hyde’s leadership the association had “failed” in its number one priority, to keep children safe.
“The impact is devastating on the whole family,” Jackie told PA Real Life.
“I do think that in their 100-plus-year history, this is their darkest time.
“Like with the Post Office, it’s a David and Goliath situation where you’ve got this worldwide organisation and then you’ve got some families who are trying to get change.
“We don’t want to see Scouts abolished or anything like that, because there are a lot of good people in Scouting doing good work and a lot of children that get enjoyment from it.
“My Ben enjoyed it, but it needs to be made safe and that’s why we just want to see them regulated by an outside body, like schools and other activity centres.”
Around 500,000 young people and 145,000 adult volunteers take part in Scouting projects and activities each week, according to the association’s own figures.
Jackie, who has another son called Thomas, 26, who was also in the Scouts as a young boy, remembers receiving a phone call from the Scout leader on the day Ben died.
“He rang me and said Ben had had a fall, and at first I just thought ‘Oh, he’s twisted his ankle’ or done something like that you know.
“Then he said the ambulance is there and they are working on him.
“And straight away, those words were just like, Oh my god.
“For about an hour we didn’t know what was happening and we couldn’t leave because we’d been told they might be taking him somewhere by air ambulance.
“Then about an hour later the police knocked on the door.”
A jury inquest into Ben’s death was launched on February 3 2020 but was cancelled after it became apparent the “Court had been misled”, according to the coroner’s prevention of future deaths report.
A second jury inquest was set for November 2 2022 but again had to be aborted after material non-disclosure to the court.
It would take more than a year for a third jury inquest to rule that Ben’s death was due to “Unlawful killing by the Explorer Scout Leader and Assistant Explorer Scout Leader contributed to by the neglect of the Scouts Association”.
“We were just so, so relieved,” said Jackie.
“I couldn’t believe it when he said unlawful killing.
“We were not pleased of course, but we feel it was the right conclusion to reach.”
Ben had been left “unsupervised” with two other Scouts on the grassy tops of the Great Orme, a 679ft (207m) headland on the north coast of Wales, according to the coroner’s report.
Thinking he could see a quicker way down, Ben began his descent when he suddenly slipped and fell off the cliff.
He was pronounced dead at 2.45pm after paramedics carried out medical interventions and CPR in vain.
“It just feels like as soon as the ambulance door closed it was about damage limitation for them,” said Jackie.
“Let’s just sweep it under the carpet.
“They say their number one priority is child safety and they have now been found to have failed at it.”
On the day of Ben’s death “no brief, instructions or written risk assessment was done”, the court heard.
“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken,” David Pojur, assistant coroner for North Wales, concluded in his report.
Jackie said: “It makes you feel quite angry that nothing was done.
“It’s just awful… it’s terrible.
“And how many near misses have there been that people don’t know about.
“It’s scary.”
Now Jackie and the other three families who share her grief have launched a petition in a bid to ensure this never happens again.
“It’s the effect it has on the rest of the family – the ripple effect if you like,” she said.
“The impact it’s had on his brother, on me and his dad, it’s just heartbreaking.
“And I know from speaking to some of the other mums that the heartbreak it causes does not go away, even years on.
“That’s why for us this petition is so important.
“We’re just hoping and praying that the powers that be take notice.”
The petition, which calls for the Government to launch a public inquiry, has so far received 1,890 signatures and requires 100,000 for the topic to be debated in Parliament.
“Change needs to happen to stop more children from dying,” she said.
The Scouts Association, which was created by authority of a Royal Charter, granted by King George V in 1912, is currently self-governing with regulatory oversight by the Charity Commission.
But currently there is no independent body that periodically audits and inspects the systems, processes and training of the Scouts Association.
“I just want to say to them, these children’s lives mattered,” said Jackie.
“All children’s lives matter and they need to be kept safe and that is the main thing.
“I don’t know why they don’t want to be regulated and try to keep it all in house.
“It’s just wrong.”
A spokesperson for the Scouts Association said: “Keeping young people safe is our top priority.
“We look closely at all incidents to ensure we are creating the safest possible environments for the thousands of young people who take part in Scouts every year.
“We are closely reviewing the coroner’s recommendations and will adopt all further changes we can to prevent such a tragic event happening again.”
Jackie’s change.org petition can be found at: www.change.org/p/public-inquiry-needed-into-the-scouts-association-and-why-they-should-be-regulated
