Jersey link in child’s bouncy castle tragedy

Wednesday 02 May 2018

An arson attack in Jersey may have inadvertently led to the death of a seven-year-old girl who died when a bouncy castle she was playing in blew away, a Court has heard.

Summer Grant, from Norwich, died of her injuries after being carried around 300 metres away inside the “cartwheeling” inflatable at an Easter fair in Essex on Saturday 26 March 2016.

Married fairground workers William (29) and Shelby Thurston (26) were subsequently charged for failing to adequately anchor the castle to the ground and failing to check weather conditions. It is alleged that their actions led it to ‘somersault’ up to 15 times with young Summer inside, only stopping when it hit a tree. 

They are now on trial for manslaughter by gross negligence, and a health and safety offence, at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Mrs Thurston this week told the court that instructions for how to use the bouncy castle – described as a £4,500 ‘circus super dome’ – were destroyed in an arson attack on a caravan at a Jersey fair in 2015.

Pictured: Fairground workers Mr and Mrs Thurston arrive at an earlier court hearing in Chelmsford. (Joe Giddens/PA)

“Someone didn't like the fairground being on that event. Some youths set alight a gas bottle,” she said.

“They had turned it on full then lit a rag to the gas bottle and rolled it under the caravan that my parents and sisters were staying in.

“If my mum hadn't woken up and seen the flames who knows what would have happened?

“It was pushed under where my sister was sleeping and where a lot of the paperwork was kept.”

All that was left, she explained, was the bouncy castle’s safety certificate.

Pictured: Police attending the scene.

Mrs Thurston, whose family have worked in fairgrounds for “generations”, added that she and her father – the original purchaser – received training in how to operate the castle.

However, she expressed concern that he had not been present to help her operate the dome at the time of Summer’s death, which came just days before Storm Katie was due to arrive. 

Recounting the event, Tracy Ayling QC, prosecuting, said that Summer’s father, Lee Grant, heard her scream.

“He turned and saw that the dome inflatable had lifted into the air, appeared to hit a caravan before flipping over… He said ‘My daughter’s in there’.” 

He chased after it alongside Mr Thurston and others, but the castle was moving too fast for them to catch.

When it stopped, Summer was reported to be found “badly injured and struggling to breathe.” 

Her “heartbroken” mother said that “life is just truly cruel” after losing her “bright, beautiful and most loving little girl.”

Her father also paid tribute at the time, saying: “I never thought our beautiful angel would be taken away from us or that we would outlive her. She was the most happy, polite and beautiful girl in the world. I still can’t come to terms she’s not here. We all love you so so much, you will always be with us; love you to the moon and back, all our love Daddy, Mummy and family xxxx.” 

The trial continues.

 Lead photo: Inset - Summer Grant (family handout/PA), Behind - tributes left at the fair following her death. (Stefan Rousseau/PA)