A FINDING of unlawful killing is now one of the possibilities in the case of a teenage Scout who fell to his death at a North Wales beauty spot.

Benjamin Leonard, 16, died after plunging 200 feet off the Great Orme, Llandudno, when he and two friends became detached from other members of the Reddish Explorers Group on a weekend trip in August, 2018.

An inquest in February last year heard that Benjamin, of Thornley Road North, Stockport, thought he had found an alternative way down from the headland but slipped and fell 200 feet.

After five days the jury retired but before they returned other information came to light about the three Scout leaders.

As a result David Pojur, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, aborted the proceedings, discharged the jury and issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report containing 20 points of concern.

Since then attempts to hold a fresh inquest have been hit by Covid-19 and other complications and a virtual pre-inquest hearing was held today (Friday, December 17) in Ruthin at which advocates for the Leonard family, the Scout Association and the three Leaders discussed with the coroner what further witnesses would need to be called.

With more preparation work needed, barristers having to be available and a new venue to be sought because the council chamber in Ruthin, where the original hearing took place, is unavailable, the new inquest will not be held before April, 2022.

It is also scheduled to last 10 days, twice the length of the first hearing.

At the pre-hearing Mr Pojur said that a change in the law relating to a finding of unlawful killing since February last year meant that that would be a consideration.

“It is something I have to have in mind,” he said.

It is understood that the threshold for reaching such a conclusion has been lowered from “beyond reasonable doubt”, as in criminal cases, to “the balance of probabilities”, as in civil cases.

That meant, said the coroner, that although he didn’t want to cause them any panic or alarm he would have to consider the individual roles of the three Leaders as well as the responsibility of the Scout Association.

He asked solicitor Colin Moore, who has represented all three Leaders, to discuss with them whether there might be a conflict of interest if any of them should claim that the others were responsible.

“We can’t possibly have the risk of another aborted hearing,” he said.

Another pre-hearing will be held before the full inquest.