Aberdeen And Aberdeenshire Councils Fined £13,000 After Boy Almost Drowned In Stonehaven

Published 12th Aug 2015

Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council have been fined £13,000 between them, after a schoolboy almost drowned at Stonehaven Outdoor Pool.

It happened in 2012, when the 11-year-old was on a school trip to the centre with Ferryhill Primary School.

At some point the boy, who could not swim, became submerged, and was discovered unconscious at the bottom of the pool, by a member of the public.

He was initially treated by lifeguards who discovered that he was not breathing and had no palpable pulse.

He was rushed into theatre at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital where he was intubated and ventilated.

But four days later he made what was described as a "remarkable" recovery, and had no signs of neurological complications.

Aberdeen City Council, the local authority in charge of the school which he attended, was charged nine thousand pounds after admitting a breach of health and safety legislation at the city sheriff court.

And the local authority which owns the pool - Aberdeenshire Council - was fined 4,000 pounds.