Overview

• The sentencing hearing for Nerys Bethan Lloyd, who pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter, is ongoing at Swansea Crown Court.
• Lloyd led a paddleboarding tour on the River Cleddau in October 2021 despite severe weather warnings and her lack of adequate qualifications.
• Four participants, including co-instructor Paul O’Dwyer, drowned after being swept over a weir in flood conditions with two tonnes of water per second flowing over it.
• Victims’ families and survivors criticized Lloyd for her arrogance, lack of remorse, and deceitful advertising of the tour as led by 'fully qualified' instructors.
• Calls for stricter regulation of paddleboarding safety have intensified, with demands for mandatory instructor standards and safer equipment requirements.