A decision on whether charges will be laid against the owner of the jumping castle involved in the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy will be made in three months.
Magistrate Robert Webster told the Devonport Magistrates Court on Monday his decision will come on June 6.
“The primary reason for the delay is that I’m not available until then, nor is the court,” Magistrate Webster said.
Earlier: More than three years after a fatal jumping castle incident at Hillcrest Primary School, the owner of the business that provided the inflatable structure will soon face a verdict in court.
The December 2021 tragedy claimed the lives of six children – Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Chace Harrison – and left three others seriously injured.
Rosemary Anne Gamble, the owner of Taz-Zorb, has pleaded not guilty to a category two charge under the Work Health and Safety Act, which alleges she failed to ensure the safety of children.
She will appear in the Devonport Magistrates Court this morning.
During court proceedings last year, prosecutors argued that Gamble was negligent, citing insufficient anchoring of the jumping castle and inadequate staff training.
A mechanical engineer testified that proper anchoring methods could have prevented the disaster.
The defence, however, maintained that the freak wind event that lifted the structure was both unprecedented and unavoidable.
While a guilty verdict could result in a $150,000 fine for Gamble, jail time isn’t a possibility under the current charge.
A coronial inquest will follow the magistrate’s ruling, while a separate civil class action against the state of Tasmania and Gamble is already before the Supreme Court.
The lawsuit alleges negligence by Hillcrest Primary School and Taz-Zorb.
