Prosecutors have launched an appeal after three teachers in England were acquitted of the manslaughter of a British schoolgirl who drowned during a school trip to France.
Jessica Lawson, 12, from East Yorkshire, died after a plastic pontoon boat on a lake near Limoges capsized in July 2015.
A criminal trial followed and, in October 2022, teachers Chantelle Lewis, Daisy Stathers and Steven Layne (all teachers at Wolfreton School, near Hull) were acquitted of charges of manslaughter caused by gross negligence.
So was French lifeguard Leo Lemaire, who was on duty at the time of the accident in the town of Liginiac.
This led Jessica’s devastated family to complain about the verdict, saying they wanted someone to be held responsible for the schoolgirl’s death.
On Thursday, Lemaire was questioned at the Limoges Court of Appeal after insisting that he was used to seeing the pontoon capsize and did not consider it dangerous.
Jessica Lawson, 12, from East Yorkshire, (pictured) died after a plastic pontoon boat on a lake near Limoges capsized in July 2015.
Teachers (LR) Daisy Stathers, Chantelle Lewis and Steven Layne were acquitted of charges of manslaughter caused by gross negligence.
According to court documents, prosecutors want to know why the lake pontoon (pictured) periodically overturned
“I grew up right next to this body of water,” Mr Lemaire told the court. “I can’t count the number of times I went there and saw the platform tip over with swimmers on it, and there was never an accident.”
A photograph of the pontoon full of swimmers was projected onto the court using a projector, as Mr Lemaire said: “Yes, of course, I looked at them, but no one was pushing or shouting any more than usual.” They laughed and I had to scan the entire bathroom area.’
The appeal re-examines the decision to acquit Mr Lemaire, the French local authority responsible for the maintenance of the pontoon, and the teachers.
Only French prosecutors can appeal the criminal aspects of cases, while victims and their families can appeal the civil aspects.
The reasons for this appeal relate to the maintenance of the overturned orange pontoon and the safety of its surroundings.
According to court documents, prosecutors want to know why it regularly rolled over, why there were only three anchor points and not four, and why there was no limit on the number of people allowed on top.
People laid flowers outside Jessica’s school after her tragic passing.
Jessica’s devastated family complained about the verdict, saying they wanted someone to be held responsible for the schoolgirl’s death.
They also want to know why adults, including teachers, did not intervene when they saw that the platform was crowded.
These issues will be discussed in depth before the two-day appeal ends today. A sentence will be handed down later.
The original trial, held in Tulle, heard how Jessica, the youngest pupil in the school group, was hit on the head when the pontoon capsized.
The lifeguard rescued her from under the pontoon and she was then airlifted to Limoges hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.
Prosecutors had asked that Lewis, Stathers and Layne, as well as lifeguard Lemaire, be jailed for three years, while they all denied any wrongdoing.
Delivering her verdict at the Tulle Criminal Court, Judge Marie-Sophie Waguette said there was “no evidence to show that they were negligent.”
Jessica, the youngest student in the school group, was hit on the head when the pontoon boat (pictured) capsized
There were a total of 24 British pupils aged between 12 and 17 in the water, along with a teacher, and two others watching from the shore.
There were a total of 24 British pupils aged between 12 and 17 in the water, along with a teacher, and two others watching from the shore.
Following the original verdict, Jessica’s sister Hannah Davidson, 33, lamented: “We were hoping this would be the week we finally had some answers and could begin the process of moving on with our lives, but that hasn’t happened.” happened”. which is impossible to accept.
‘Until someone is held accountable for Jessica’s death, we will never be able to process what happened to her. It simply cannot be that, under these circumstances, a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her dies and it is no one’s fault.’
Mrs Davidson said the court proceedings devastated her parents, Tony and Brenda Lawson, as they did not get “the closure we desperately wanted”.
The call continues.