In July 2015, 12-year-old Jessica Lawson drowned after becoming trapped on a capsized pontoon during a school excursion.
A French court has ruled three British educators not guilty in the murder of a 12-year-old girl on a school trip.
After Jessica Lawson drowned in July 2015, Steven Layne, Chantelle Lewis, and Daisy Stathers from Wolfreton School in Willerby, near Hull, were charged with the French equivalent of manslaughter by gross negligence.
After a pontoon capsized in a lake near the city of Limoges, the youngest child on the excursion, Jessica, became entrapped.
The trio has been exonerated of any wrongdoing by the Palais de Justice in Tulle.
Leo Lemaire, the lifeguard on duty at the time of the tragedy, and the municipal government of Liginiac were also acquitted.
Previously, French prosecutors argued that the teachers and the lifeguard should serve three years in prison.
Tony Lawson, Jessica’s father, exited the courtroom when the not-guilty verdicts were read, causing Ms. Lewis and Ms. Stathers to weep.
Marie-Sophie Waguette, the head of the jurisdiction in Tulle, stated on the incident: “The lifeguard was surveying the area, the lifeguard was present, and the flag was green.
“There was no reason to believe the floating platform would capsize. We do not know why she drowned at the moment that the platform tipped over.
“Therefore, there is no evidence that they were negligent, hence you are ruled not guilty.”
Anis Harabi, one of Mr. Layne’s attorneys, stated that Jessica’s death was an accident with no “culprits” and that his client should not be expected to be “clairvoyant.”
According to Mr. Harabi, Mr. Layne did not feel it to be harmful because the swimming area was “managed.”
The educator believed the pontoon was a safety element.
Mr. Layne’s second attorney, Dominique Tricaud, stated that the teachers acted “simultaneously” upon realizing Jessica was gone and that the three were “tirelessly” searching for her.
The trial heard how Ms. Lewis and Ms. Stathers “panicked” upon discovering Jessica’s disappearance, with both becoming upset on the witness stand.
Mr. Layne stated that he believed the pontoon to be a safety element and witnessed no evidence of distress on the lifeguard’s face after the pontoon capsized.
Brenda Lawson, the child’s mother, stated that her family had had “terrible anguish” since her daughter’s death, describing her as “full of fun, laughter, and compassion.”
The swimming Jessica should have been closely observed – the prosecutor
Prosecutor Myriam Soria said: “Jessica Lawson could swim well. She was a young child. Her swimming should have been closely watched.”
Due to a lack of surveillance, Ms. Soria stated that none of the teachers could see where Jessica was during the swim.
The prosecution stated, about the pontoon itself, that the local authorities “were aware of its instability and its age.”
