A not guilty plea has been entered by the company at the centre of the 2021 Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy more than two years on from the incident.
The owner of Taz-Zorb, Rosemary Gamble, pleaded not guilty to workplace health and safety charges in the Devonport Magistrates Court on Friday, as reported by the ABC.
WorkSafe, through The Director of Public Prosecutions, charged Gamble’s company with one count of failing to comply with health and safety duty category 2.
The tragic incident occurred in December 2021 when a gust of wind lifted the jumping castle, resulting in the deaths of six children and injuries to three others.
According to court documents, it is alleged that Gamble and two other workers only secured the jumping castle at four of the required eight anchor points and did not follow recommended installation procedures.
The Director of Public Prosecutions claims that these actions exposed the children to a significant risk of serious injury or death.
During Gamble’s plea, Georgie Burt, the mother of victim Zane Mellor, yelled “our kids are dead because of you” and called her a “f**king gutless bitch”.
Gamble is scheduled to appear in court again next month.
