nick
April 15th, 2010, 06:35 AM
A boy drowned when safety lapses by a county council led to panic-stricken children crawling through a flooded underground tunnel during a school caving trip, a court heard yesterday.
Joe Lister, 14, who was on a school trip at an outdoor education centre, was left to die alone when water levels rose suddenly inside Manchester Hole, a cave near the River Nidd in the Yorkshire Dales.
He was among a group of 11 pupils of the same age and their teacher from Tadcaster Grammar School who were taken into the cave system by an instructor and a work-experience teenager. Leeds Crown Court was told that although Manchester Hole was usually regarded as safe for beginners, it was known to be prone to flooding during severe wet weather.
On the day Joe died in November 2005, heavy rain and strong winds had swept water over the top of a dam at a nearby reservoir and into the Nidd, which led to surging water levels inside the cave.
Tim Horlock, QC, for the prosecution, told the jury that the roof of the cave lowered sharply part way along the underground river bed that the group were exploring. To reach the large, domed chamber on the downstream side, the group had to crawl through a 12m passage known as The Crawl, which at its narrowest was only 1m high and 1m wide.
The water was ankle deep and they made it through without any difficulty. As they explored the chamber it was realised that the water had risen to the height of the children’s waists. The only way back was through The Crawl and when they arrived it was fully submerged, apart from an air pocket halfway along. Mr Horlock said: “It quickly became apparent that the group was going to have to swim underwater in dark, freezing and muddy conditions. Panic set in among some of the children, with some becoming hysterical.”
In the chaos that ensued, some children tried to swim through but turned back. Eventually the instructor, Tony Boyle, went through with one boy who was a weak swimmer and began assisting the children at the far end.
Robert Power, a maths teacher, and a 17-year-old girl on work experience at the outdoor centre waited behind for the other children to pass through. Mr Horlock said that one of the pupils later described how Joe tried to swim through the tunnel but turned back, explaining to his friend that “he couldn’t do it”.
The friend “saw Joe go slightly away and sit on some rocks”. Mr Power was the last person to go through The Crawl. He thought no one was left behind. When the group gathered on the other side of the passage Joe was found to be missing.
Mr Horlock told the court that Mr Boyle decided that they should not turn back, but should leave Manchester Hole and raise the alarm. Joe’s body was found later by a cave rescuer, downstream of The Crawl. He had drowned.
Full story here (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7097856.ece)
Joe Lister, 14, who was on a school trip at an outdoor education centre, was left to die alone when water levels rose suddenly inside Manchester Hole, a cave near the River Nidd in the Yorkshire Dales.
He was among a group of 11 pupils of the same age and their teacher from Tadcaster Grammar School who were taken into the cave system by an instructor and a work-experience teenager. Leeds Crown Court was told that although Manchester Hole was usually regarded as safe for beginners, it was known to be prone to flooding during severe wet weather.
On the day Joe died in November 2005, heavy rain and strong winds had swept water over the top of a dam at a nearby reservoir and into the Nidd, which led to surging water levels inside the cave.
Tim Horlock, QC, for the prosecution, told the jury that the roof of the cave lowered sharply part way along the underground river bed that the group were exploring. To reach the large, domed chamber on the downstream side, the group had to crawl through a 12m passage known as The Crawl, which at its narrowest was only 1m high and 1m wide.
The water was ankle deep and they made it through without any difficulty. As they explored the chamber it was realised that the water had risen to the height of the children’s waists. The only way back was through The Crawl and when they arrived it was fully submerged, apart from an air pocket halfway along. Mr Horlock said: “It quickly became apparent that the group was going to have to swim underwater in dark, freezing and muddy conditions. Panic set in among some of the children, with some becoming hysterical.”
In the chaos that ensued, some children tried to swim through but turned back. Eventually the instructor, Tony Boyle, went through with one boy who was a weak swimmer and began assisting the children at the far end.
Robert Power, a maths teacher, and a 17-year-old girl on work experience at the outdoor centre waited behind for the other children to pass through. Mr Horlock said that one of the pupils later described how Joe tried to swim through the tunnel but turned back, explaining to his friend that “he couldn’t do it”.
The friend “saw Joe go slightly away and sit on some rocks”. Mr Power was the last person to go through The Crawl. He thought no one was left behind. When the group gathered on the other side of the passage Joe was found to be missing.
Mr Horlock told the court that Mr Boyle decided that they should not turn back, but should leave Manchester Hole and raise the alarm. Joe’s body was found later by a cave rescuer, downstream of The Crawl. He had drowned.
Full story here (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7097856.ece)