A French lifeguard and the local council have been found guilty of manslaughter in the case of 12-year-old British schoolgirl Jessica Lawson, who drowned during a school trip in July 2015. Jessica, from East Yorkshire, died when a plastic pontoon overturned in a lake near Limoges.
On Wednesday, the Appeal Court in Limoges ruled that swimming supervisor Leo Lemaire, 30, and Liginiac Town Hall were criminally responsible for “manslaughter through a clearly deliberate violation of an obligation of providing safety or prudence.” Lemaire received a suspended eight-month prison sentence, and the council was fined €20,000 (£17,000).
Jessica’s parents, Tony and Brenda Lawson, who moved to Portugal after her death, were awarded damages totaling €70,000 (£58,000) for moral damage, anxiety, and suffering. Judges criticized Lemaire for his “lack of vigilance” on the day of the tragedy and condemned the local council for not warning of the dangers of swimming off the pontoon.
Initially, a criminal prosecution had acquitted Lemaire and three teachers from Wolfreton School in Hull of manslaughter caused by gross negligence. However, Jessica’s family appealed the decision, leading to a retrial in May 2023. The new trial reversed the original acquittals of Lemaire and the local authority, while the teachers were again found not guilty.
Lemaire defended himself during the trial, stating he had often seen the pontoon overturn without incident. Despite his claims, the court found him negligent. Jessica had been struck on the head when the pontoon flipped, and although she was rescued by Lemaire and airlifted to a hospital in Limoges, she could not be saved.
Jessica’s father, Tony Lawson, expressed frustration over the lack of clarity regarding his daughter’s death and criticized the initial verdicts. He and his wife moved to Portugal in 2017 in an attempt to rebuild their lives.
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