'The Scouts failed to keep my child safe they need regulation'

MUM DEMANDS ACTION AFTER TEENAGE SON DIED IN FALL ON EXPEDITION 

- TOM CAMPBELL

THE heartbroken mother of a 16-year-old boy who fell 200ft to his death has demanded the government takes action.

Ben Leonard, 16, from Stockport, died of a serious head injury after falling off the Great Orme in Llandudno while on a Scouts trip in Wales. He had been left 'unsupervised' while on the three-day expedition before falling to his death on August 26, 2018.

Ben was on the trip with the Reddish Explorer Scouts. A jury inquest earlier this year concluded that Ben had been 'unlawfully killed' by the Explorer Scouts leader and assistant leader and that neglect of the Scouts Association (TSA) was a contributing factor. The inquest heard allegations Ben's family were lied to, with suggestions the 'approach' taken by TSA was to blame the boy for the tragedy amid worries over 'reputational damage' to the organisation.

The M.E.N. previously reported how, within moments of the jury verdict, TSA published a statement on its website apologising, but blaming 'local leaders' for not following its rules. But in a statement Ben's family said "the pain of losing Ben has only been made worse by the constant passing of blame by one person to another... the attempt to blame local leaders for everything, whilst refusing to face up to their own failures at national level, is a continuing worrying feature."