The first day of a court hearing into the 2021 jumping castle tragedy that claimed the lives of six children at Hillcrest Primary School has begun in Devonport today.
Witnesses have told the court how a “mini-tornado” blew across the school oval on December 16, causing the inflatable to fly into the air.
The Magistrates Court heard how one witnesses, a young student, told police she saw her fellow classmates fall from the castle as it flew through the air.
Rosemary Anne Gamble, the owner of castle-operator Taz-Zorb, has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of failing to comply with health and safety duty, a Category 2 offence.
The incident resulted in the deaths of Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Jalailah Jayne-Marie Jones, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Chace Harrison.
The trial is expected to last just over a week and will conclude on November 15.
The Devonport Magistrates Court has put alternative viewing options in place to accommodate the large number of family members and community members expected to attend the proceedings.
Public seating in the courtroom has been reserved for immediate family members of the victims, while additional seats have been set up in the Conference Room at the Devonport Magistrates Court and the Mersey Room at the paranaple Centre.
