Trampoline park owner faces tougher sentence for failing to report four children breaking their legs

The venue’s director Philip Booth, 60, from St Mellons, Cardiff, was told by a district judge he had shown “blatant disregard for the law” and the offences are so serious he would be referred to the crown court for sentencing.

In September 2022, after a prosecution by Cardiff City Council, Booth pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to report an accident which saw a person taken to hospital and two counts of failing to ensure people were not exposed to health and safety risks from using play equipment.

At Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, District Judge Steve Harmes said: “I’ve assessed this case at the very high culpability, category two harm, because injuries such as this are serious and could’ve been more serious.”

Injuries

He said another young woman suffered a spinal injury at the trampoline park but Booth has not been charged over that incident.

He continued: “That wasn’t identified and you won’t be sentenced for it, but that’s the sort of thing that can happen in these cases, so I don’t think my sentencing powers are adequate in this case.

“You clearly and blatantly disregarded the law, disregarded the advice you were given by the council, and all these injuries occurred, none of which were reported, some of which there was an effort on staff’s part to minimise them by telling people to cross things out on forms that were handed in about what happened.

“So for all those reasons, I’m going to commit you for sentencing to the crown court.”

The judge said he would have only had the power to sentence Booth to a maximum of six months behind bars.

He made an order banning the identification of the children involved.

Booth will be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on April 27.