The families of six children who died in a jumping castle tragedy in Tasmania have lashed a judge’s decision to clear the operator of breaching workplace safety laws – as one grieving mother erupted inside the public gallery.
Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt died after the incident at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport in December 2021.
They were enjoying end-of-year celebrations on the Tasmanian school’s oval when a wind gust lifted the castle into the air. Three others were seriously injured.
Rosemary Gamble, owner of Taz-Zorb which set up the equipment, pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty.
She was found not guilty by Magistrate Robert Webster, who handed down his decision in Devonport Magistrates Court on Friday.
Georgie Burt, the devastated mother of 12-year-old Zane Mellor, began yelling from inside the public gallery after the verdict was read out.
‘I hope it stays with you forever, what you have done. My child, they will follow you until you are dead,’ she shouted.
‘My son Zane Mellor, I hope it haunts you, I hope you see them every single time they miss a Christmas miss a birthday it’s because of you.’
Ms Burt later addressed reporters outside the court room.
‘I am deeply disappointed in the Tasmanian justice system,’ she said through tears.
‘This outcome does not reflect the weight of our loss nor the reality of what we live with every single day.’
Andrew Dodt, whose son Peter Dodt was killed, said he felt broken by the loss.
‘I’ve been broken for a long time and I think I’m going to be broken for a lot more,’ he told reporters outside court.
‘I thank you for walking the path with us. It was a very long path and I think we’ve still got a long way to go.
‘I think our hopes are just shattered now, at the end of the day all I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home and I’m never going to get it and that kills me.’
A representative for Ms Gamble read a statement on her behalf outside court, saying she recognised the scars of the incident would likely remain forever.
‘I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did,’ the statement said.
‘I am a mother. I can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened.
‘Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.’
Gamble faced a 10-day hearing in November where it was alleged she only used pegs at four of the castle’s eight anchor points, despite the manufacturer’s instructions recommending eight.
Her lawyer Chris Dockray argued Gamble had been left out to dry by the castle’s Chinese manufacturer.
East Inflatables didn’t provide instructions to Gamble upon purchase and only supplied four pegs, Mr Dockray said.
Gamble instead downloaded a two-page manual from the company’s website, he said, which resulted in an interpretation that four pegs were sufficient.
According to court documents, seven students were on the castle when a significant weather event dislodged it.
They fell from the castle, while a blower attached to the castle to keep it inflated struck a nearby student.
Preparations for an inquest have been paused due to the criminal proceedings, while a class action has also been launched against Gamble as well as the state of Tasmania.