Schoolboy fell to his death through open manhole

A schoolboy fell to his death through an open manhole cover after a contractor failed to put in place adequate safety measures.

Shea Ryan, 10, entered a construction site in Glasgow with other children through an insecure fence in July 2020, a court was told.

He told his friends he wanted to climb down the manhole, but he slipped on a ladder.

Contractor RJ McLeod admitted breaching health and safety laws.

Prosecutor Saud Ul-Hassan told the hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court the building site was close to a playpark in the city's Drumchapel area.

The site was secured by a single fence which had been vandalised in the past and breached on six occasions.

The court was told that Shea discovered the manhole, and told his friends: "I want to go down."

"Shea began to climb down the ladder where he slipped and fell," the prosecutor said.

"From the position of the ladder, he fell to the water below."

The distance between the ladder and the bottom of the manhole was 6.3 metres (20ft).

The other children raised the alarm and Shea's stepfather Graham Patterson entered the manhole.

Police were called, and officers found Shea lying on his back with Mr Patterson and a neighbour beside him.

The prosecutor said: "Shea was seen to have severe head injuries, cold to the touch and was not breathing."

An officer brought Shea to the surface and performed CPR before he was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital but he could not be saved.

RJ McLeod were carrying out work on a Glasgow City Council project to reduce flooding in the area.

An investigation found the contractor had failed to undertake a full assessment of the risks including the proximity to the play park and the possibility that children would be attracted to the site.

The company was also criticised for not erecting a double fence, and for having an inadequate system for monitoring or recording problems with the fencing.

Shea's mother Joanne Ferguson said she hoped lessons would be learned from the tragedy.

"My son is not here and that destroys me every day," she said in a statement.

"That totally avoidable accident has ruined my life and my kids' lives - I don't even feel human anymore at times because of the grief.

"I just hope this makes them consider site safety everywhere - not just for RJ McLeod but for companies everywhere because the safety of these places is so important."

She added: "Wee Shea is missed every second of every day and his family and friends will always love and miss him."

RJ McLeod admitted failing to ensure people not in their employment were not exposed to health and safety risks. Sentenced was deferred until later this week.

The court heard that since the incident, the company has increased its fencing measures and manhole covers are subject to checks. Motion sensors and solar-powered security cameras are also installed.

A fatal accident inquiry into Shea's death will take place at a later date.