Dinghy drama mum in court

May 29 2009

AN irresponsible mum endangered the lives of her two young children and their pal by allowing them to be swept a mile out to sea off Ayr beach in an inflatable toy dinghy.

Jacqueline Little, 38, was on a visit to Ayr with two eight year olds and a five year old.

Ayr Sheriff Court heard last week that the mum allowed the kids to persuade her to put out to sea with them in the tiny inflatable on the afternoon of June 1, 2008.

Neither Little or the kids had oars, life jackets, appropriate clothing for the worsening weather or any safety equipment.

Soon the current took hold and pulled them out into the Firth of Clyde.

Depute fiscal Stephanie Blair told the court: “They had drifted three quarters of a mile from the shoreline when the weather made conditions extremely hazardous. Ms Little used her mobile phone to contact a family member.”

That relative contacted the police who alerted the coastguard and Troon Lifeboat. Ms Blair said that by the time the lifeboat crew plucked Little, of Glasgow, and the children from the 1.45m diameter dinghy they were a mile from the shore and the youngsters were distressed and extremely cold.

She added: “They required to be warmed up on the lifeboat.”

Mum-of-six Little admitted willfully treating the three children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering and placing their lives in danger contrary to the Children and Young Persons Act.

Solicitor Tony Currie said: “There was no proper safety equipment and when they got to Ayr they realised that they had left the oars at home. But the children insisted that they wanted to go out in the dinghy. The weather turned for the worst and difficulties ensued. This is very much a matter of regret for Ms Little given the nature of the incident and the fact that there were young children involved.”

Sentence was deferred on Little for reports.

Spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Fred Caygill, said: “We see a lot of incidents involving these toy inflatables every year and unfortunately there are some incidents where people have lost their lives.

“What we keep stressing is that these inflatables are toys and should be used responsibly.

“There is usually an eyelet and a line can be attached to that, with a responsible adult standing either in the water or in the shore holding that rope while the kids are in the inflatables – that way it is not swept out to sea.

“This is the first time I have heard of anyone being taken to court for using an inflatable toy like this, but obviously this particular police force thought this was sufficiently serious to charge her under the act.”

Mr Caygill said that the emergency services were alerted around 2.30pm and the lifeboat located Little and the children at 3.15pm. He estimated that they would have been in the sea in the deteriorating conditions for at least an hour.

Mr Caygill said that the entire operation involving the police, coastguard and lifeboat services, would have cost in excess of £1000.