Care Home Safety Failures
Care Home Manager Fined for Negligence After Two Disabled Residents Drown During Boat Trip
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Prosecutors said the “wheelyboat” was “designed to carry wheelchair users” and that it had been “hired from the centre” specifically for the Roadford Lake trip, highlighting that specialized equipment was available but the outing was still conducted unsafely.
2
The court heard the incident occurred on the “second trip of the day”: when the boat was “turned to return,” it “started to take on water” and capsized shortly after.
3
Sowden had been appointed registered manager in 2016 and was previously described as “caring” and “diligent,” but the court heard a “cultural complacency” developed in the home in the run-up to the tragedy and “standards had slipped.”
4
Exeter Magistrates’ Court ordered Sowden to pay £4,090 (instead of simply about £4,000), and CQC deputy director for adult social care in the South West, Stefan Kallee, said: “People receiving care and treatment have the right to expect that any risks to their safety will be…”
A care home manager has been fined £4,090 after two disabled residents drowned when their wheelchair-accessible boat capsized on a lake in Devon. Janice Sowden, 60, pleaded guilty on May 18, 2026 — the day her trial was due to start — to three counts of failing to provide safe care and treatment, ITV News reported. Alexander Wood, 43, and Alison Tilsley, 63, died at Roadford Lake on June 8, 2022. A third resident, Kate Dart, 69, was pulled from the water face down and seriously injured.
Sowden was sentenced at Exeter Magistrates' Court on June 16, 2026. District Judge Stuart Smith called the incident "nothing short of devastating, harrowing and absolutely tragic," according to South West Live. Burdon Grange Care Home Limited, the provider, had already been ordered to pay over £200,000 in fines and costs in October 2025 for the same failings.
Residents Strapped Into Wheelchairs When Boat Capsized
The group of three residents and three staff members hired "Wheelyboat 123" from the Roadford Lake Activity Centre. The 5.3-metre aluminium vessel was designed to carry wheelchair users who stay seated in their chairs while afloat. The capsize happened on the second trip of the day. When the boat turned to head back, it began taking on water and capsized, according to The Mirror.
Prosecutor James Marsland told the court that victims were effectively "drowned by the weight of their wheelchairs." The residents were strapped into heavy electric wheelchairs with no quick way to release them. The care home had not fitted residents with life jackets — only buoyancy aids. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch later found the boat had degraded bow ramp seals that let water in, Daily Mail reported.
Sowden Tried to Create Fake Checklist After the Deaths
Sowden failed to carry out proper risk assessments before the outing. After the tragedy, the court heard she attempted to create a fake checklist to make investigators believe assessments had been done, according to The Mirror. Judge Smith said a "cultural complacency" had set in at the home in the lead-up to the incident. He said the risks were "patently obvious" but were ignored.
Sowden had managed Burdon Grange since 2016 and had a 30-year career in care. Her legal team described her as "caring and diligent" and said her career ended in "the saddest and most tragic way." But prosecutors said she had a "cavalier attitude" toward safety. The CQC's Stefan Kallee said: "People receiving care and treatment have the right to expect that any risks to their safety will be effectively managed. This isn't what happened."
Victims' Families Left Devastated by Preventable Deaths
Alex Wood had been paralysed following a rugby accident in 2011. He was a father of four. His wife Tamsin told the court: "Alex's death has broken me. I feel cheated. I wanted to make Alex better and bring him home. That has been taken away," according to Head Topics UK.
Alison Tilsley, 63, was described as having a "sunny nature" and being "loved by everyone who met her." The MAIB's Chief Inspector Andrew Moll OBE said: "No-one had their eye on the risk... no-one recognized the implications of carrying vulnerable people who were strapped into heavy motorized wheelchairs." Following the incident, South West Lakes Trust immediately stopped using Wheelyboats across all its waters.
CQC Signals It Will Target Individual Managers, Not Just Firms
The case marks a significant shift in how regulators pursue care failures. Sowden's prosecution runs alongside the £200,190 penalty handed to Burdon Grange Care Home Limited in October 2025. The CQC says it will now hold named managers — not just corporate entities — accountable for systemic safety failures, according to Head Topics US.
Sowden, who is currently receiving benefits and has her own mobility issues, is expected to be permanently barred from working in the care sector. Judge Smith capped the provider's fine deliberately to avoid bankrupting the 30-bed home and displacing its current residents, Daily Mail reported. The home had around 88 employees and an annual turnover of roughly £2.5 million at the time of the incident.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
12
Articles
8
Reach
20
Topics
A
AnonymousAuthor
