UK Care Home and Charity Charged with Corporate Manslaughter Over Lake Drownings

A Devon care home and an environmental charity have been charged with corporate manslaughter following the drowning of two disabled residents during a capsized boat excursion in 2022. The Crown Prosecution Service announced that Burdon Grange Care Home Limited and South West Lakes Trust each face two counts of corporate manslaughter alongside statutory health and safety violations, concluding a complex multi-agency inquiry.

Prosecutors confirmed the charges following the deaths of 43-year-old Alexander Wood and 63-year-old Alison Tilsley. Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS, stated: "Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings." Both entities were also charged with failure to discharge duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The incident occurred on June 8, 2022, during a day trip at Roadford Lake Reservoir near Okehampton, Devon. A wheelchair-accessible vessel carrying six individuals began taking on water and subsequently overturned. Wood and Tilsley, both electric wheelchair users, were pulled under the water by the weight of their chairs, while another passenger sustained serious injuries. A joint investigation was conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police, the Health and Safety Executive, and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.

A spokesperson for Burdon Grange Care Home called the event tragic, maintaining their dedication to resident safety while declining deeper comment due to active legal proceedings. The initial court hearing for both organizations is scheduled to take place at Bristol Magistrates' Court on November 11.