A UK beach inflatable owner will serve six months behind bars in connection with the death of a toddler who died when one of his devices exploded and sent her flying 40 feet into the air.
Curt Johnson, 52, the operations manager of Johnson Funfair Ltd., was sentenced Friday after previously pleading guilty to two counts of breaching health and safety laws, the BBC reported.
Johnson was implicated in the death of Ava-May Littleboy, 3, who was on one of Johnson’s inflatables in Gorleston-on-Sea on July 1, 2018 when it exploded, sending her “’higher than a house’” into the air and resulting in fatal head injuries, the outlet explained.
In 2020, an inquest jury found that no procedure was in place to manage the trampoline’s inflation, and that it had also not been checked by a third party and had no instruction manual.
District judge Christopher Williams ruled this week that Johnson was “willfully blind to the risk” by failing to ensure the inflatable had safety checks, and that the trampoline “should not have been in use,” the Great Yarmouth Mercury explained.
“I reflect on the suffering and anguish the family have been through,” the judge said Friday.
“Ultimately a child has lost their life because of failures on your part. “This is a case that’s of such seriousness that I have to conclude a deterrent sentence is necessary.”
Johnson did not react when he was led away, the BBC noted.
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His lawyer, Oliver Campbell KC, said that Johnson and his wife “deeply regret” the toddler’s death.
“He apologizes sincerely to the court and the family for his failings,” he said, adding that Johnson Funfair “ceased trading some time ago and will not trade again.”
Johnson attempted to take his own life in 2018, and had suffered from depression and received threats related to the high-profile case, Campbell claimed.
Littleboy’s parents, Nathan Rowe and Chloe Littleboy, wiped tears from their eyes after the sentencing, the Great Yarmouth Mercury reported.
“It’s amazing as a parent that so many people care about your child,” Rowe told the outlet.
“It’s surprising how one little girl had impact on so many lives. I read her eulogy and it was my one and only chance to pay tribute to her and her short life. I don’t know of another father who’s had to do this.”
In addition to Johnson’s sentence, he was barred from being a company director for five years and Johnson Funfair was fined $24,432.50.
