Cambridgeshire pair arrested after bouncy castle tragedy kills child have bail extended

Summer Grant, 7, from Norwich, died after being swept away on a bouncy castle on 26 March.

The man, 27, and 24-year-old woman, both from Cambridgeshire, who were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence following the child’s death, have been re-bailed until September 13.

Summer Grant, from Braeford Close in Norwich, was seriously injured when the inflatable was apparently swept some 150 metres across a park in Harlow, Essex, on Easter Saturday.

Police said the post-mortem examination established the cause of death as multiple injuries.

A collection of floral tributes and teddy bears adorned the entrance to Harlow Town Park a day after the tragedy as people came to pay their respects.

The fair was closed on Easter Sunday but a steady trickle of people visited the park, leaving messages including: “God has taken a beautiful girl for his angel. RIP Princess.”

A sudden gust of wind blew the bouncy castle off the ground and over a number of trailers and caravans on the site, Ray Smith, from the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain said.

Speaking at the time, Mr Smith said: “It was a sudden gust. Had it been a consistent wind they would have closed down all the inflatables.”

He said the the firm in charge of the bouncy castle was the family-run Thurston fun fairs.

Asked about how bouncy castles are set up, he said: “I know the family and I am very confident they had staked it out properly. Obviously there is a full investigation to be held into how this could have happened and to make sure it can never ever happen again.”

Police said weather conditions on the day are a factor in their “lengthy” and “complex” investigation.

Detective Inspector Daniel Stoten said: “The weather will certainly make up part of this investigation - whether the weather was a factor and whether or not it was appropriate for the ride to be running.

“It will be a complex and thorough investigation - I do not anticipate this to be a quick inquiry, it will be a lengthy investigation.

“We will be speaking to scientists in relation to the weight of the ride, the type of weather, the ground underfoot, the moisture content, and how the ride was tethered.”

Last year a bouncy castle collapsed while children were playing on it during a fair in the same park. It was reported at the time that three children had to be treated by paramedics when the inflatable castle collapsed on them.