Families of the victims of the 2021 Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy have returned to the Devonport magistrates court for the second week of the criminal hearing against the castle’s operator. The court heard evidence from an inflatables expert who said the jumping castled anchorage system, and its operation, were not up to Australian standards.
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00:00Almost three years on, the Devonport Magistrates' Court is trying to get to the bottom of what
00:07went wrong on that tragic day that sent grief throughout the community and made international
00:13headlines. It was December 16, 2021, when six children died and three were injured when
00:20the castle became airborne after it was lifted by a gust of wind at an end-of-year celebration.
00:26The castle's operator, Rosemary Ann Gamble, is facing a charge of failing to comply with
00:31health and safety duty, to which she's pleaded not guilty. For the second week in a row,
00:37family members have listened on as the court hears evidence about their loved ones' deaths.
00:43Prosecutors allege Ms Gamble only secured the castle at four of its eight anchorage
00:47points. Ms Gamble's defence argues she took all the reasonable steps to mitigate the risk
00:52and used the four pegs supplied to her by the manufacturer. Yesterday, the court heard
00:57from an inflatables expert. He said neither the jumping castle, the anchorage system nor
01:03the operations were compliant with Australian standards, and that the operator appeared
01:08to be inconsistent with its anchorage systems each time the castle was assembled. The expert
01:14told the court, you don't play around with an engineered system, likening it to road
01:19safety, saying it's a bit like putting a seatbelt on. You put it on out of habit, you are consistent
01:24with it all of the time. He will continue giving evidence today. The hearing will continue
01:30until Friday, although a verdict may not be handed down until next year.