Scout Association Accepts Responsibility for Teen's Death in 2018

Lack of Planning and Supervision Highlighted in Ongoing Inquest

Ben Leonard, a 16-year-old boy, died after falling 200ft from a cliff during a Scout trip in August 2018.
The Scout Association has publicly accepted responsibility for Ben's death, five and a half years after the incident.
Scout leader Gareth Williams, who was on the trip, told the inquest that he was not concerned when he lost sight of Ben and two other boys.
There was no face-to-face planning before the fatal trip, and Williams was not given any maps, risk assessments, or documentation.
Williams agreed that Ben's life could have been saved if the boys had been given basic instructions about safe and unsafe areas.