Owner of exploding trampoline sent girl flying to her death admits safety breach

22 July 2023 , 07:14

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Three-year-old Ava-May Littleboy, who died of a head injury after being thrown from an inflatable trampoline on a beach in Gorleston (Image: PA)

The owner of a funfair where an exploding trampoline sent a girl flying to her death has admitted breaching safety regulations.

Ava-May Littleboy tragically died when she was thrown “higher than a house” after the inflatable trampoline she had been playing on exploded.

The shocking incident took place at Gorleston-on-Sea, in Norfolk, on July 1, 2018, and little Ava-May suffered a fatal head injury.

The youngster had been enjoying a family day out at the time - but aunt Abbie Littleboy, 23, had to watch as the toddler “flipped five or six times” before hitting the ground.

Parents Chloe Little-boy, 27, and Nathan Rowe, 36, rushed to her side. She could not be resuscitated and died in hospital.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Owner of exploding trampoline sent girl flying to her death admits safety breach

Curt Johnson of Johnsons Funfair Ltd arrives for the inquest into the youngster's death back in March, 2020 (PA)

Abbie Littleboy (left), aunt of Ava-May Littleboy, and her friend Beth Jones outside the inquest held three years ago (PA)

Two people were previously arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter but police later released them and said they would face no further action.

But Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) continued their own investigation over possible health and safety offences.

Curt Johnson, and his company Johnsons Funfair Ltd, recently both indicated guilty pleas to two counts of breaching health and safety laws at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court in Essex, The BBC reported.

GYBC, who prosecuted the case along with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), were reported as having said: "The events of 1 July 2018 had, and continue to have, a devastating effect on the parents of Ava-May Littleboy and on the wider close-knit family.

Little Ava-May had reportedly wanted to go on a Minions bouncy castle but the wait time was too long so she went on the blue inflatable which would explode (PA)

The youngster was enjoying a day at the beach with her family at the time (PA)

"GYBC and HSE again extend their sympathies and condolences to all of the family of Ava-May Littleboy."

Ava-May, from Lower Somersham, Suffolk, was with her family at the beach and taken onto the trampoline.

One other child, aged nine, was on the inflatable when it burst, but did not sustain “significant physical injuries”.

A previous inquest held in March 2020, concluded that no procedure was in place to safely manage the inflation of the trampoline, and that it had not been checked by an independent third party and had no instruction manual.

Johnson was operations manager of the company at the time, which traded under the name Bounceabout, and they had imported the trampoline from China, in 2017.

Neither Johnson, nor Johnsons Funfair Ltd obtained safety instructions, prepared a specific risk assessment or had the trampoline certified by the ADIPS scheme, the council reportedly said.