Ski lift supervisor avoids jail over tragic death of British schoolboy

A ski lift supervisor who was found to have abandoned his post while a 14-year-old British schoolboy was strangled to death by the mechanism has avoided jail.

Kieran Brookes died on a school trip in 2011 Credit: PA

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Kieran Brookes, from Devon, died after the straps of his backpack became entangled in the lift in the Alps resort of Chatel, on the French-Swiss border, during a school trip in February 2011.

Eyewitnesses said he was suspended in the air for around four minutes before he was finally released, as supervisor Richard Cettour was not at his post and did nothing when other skiiers called for him to press the emergency stop button.

Cettour, aged 50, of Bonnevaux, France, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and handed a six-month prison sentence, which was suspended.

SAEM Sports et Tourisme a Chatel, which runs the ski lift, was cleared of the same charge.

Torbay Boys' Grammar School pupil Kieran was given CPR for around eight minutes before being taken to a hospital in Annecy, France, to be treated for a severe brain injury.

He was later transferred to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, but died on March 17, 2011.

Described as "one of the brightest maths prospects in the country", Kieran had dreamed of becoming a doctor one day.

His mother Cindy, of Bovey Tracey, Devon, said she wanted to know lessons had been learned from the tragedy.

He was academically bright but also loved to be physically active and was a member of the army cadets. He dreamed of becoming a doctor and helping people. He wanted to be a GP.

We couldn't bury Kieran for six months because of the police investigation. We also couldn't donate his organs which was something that would have given us some comfort.

– CINDY BROOKES, MOTHER