Theme park operator to be prosecuted over 11-year-old’s death

The operator of a theme park where an 11-year-old girl died after falling from a ride is to be prosecuted under health and safety laws.

Evha Jannath, 11, from Leicester, was on a school trip when she fell from the Splash Canyon ride at Drayton Manor in May 2017 and died of chest injuries.

Staffordshire-based Drayton Manor Park Ltd will face a charge under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The criminal proceedings have not yet started because an inquest into Jannath’s death, due to be heard in November, needs to take place first.

A spokesperson from Drayton Manor Park said: “It would not be appropriate for us to comment until the inquest concludes.”

The ride has remained closed at the theme park in Tamworth since Jannath’s death.

In March, police said her death did not meet the threshold for gross negligence or corporate manslaughter.