River death tragedies FAI update

FIONNUALA BOYLE & NICK FORBES

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A joint fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of a 12-year-old boy and a man who drowned during outdoor activities almost five years apart is set for a hearing in March next year.

Kayden Walker, from Bridgeton, Glasgow, died after becoming trapped on the upstream side of a weir while on a day-trip with the Church House community group.

He was separated from his board during a river boarding session on the River Tay, near the village of Stanley in Perth and Kinross, on July 28, 2019.

After being pulled from the water, he was airlifted to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and was then transferred to the Royal Hospital for Children at Glasgow, where he died on July 29. The FAI follows the prosecution of Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Ltd in October 2024 for a contravention of health and safety legislation which led to Kayden's death. The company was fined £10,000.