Parents of girl who drowned on school trip weep outside court after teachers cleared of wrongdoing

The grieving parents of a young girl who tragically drowned during a school trip to France wept outside court as three British teachers accused of manslaughter were cleared of wrongdoing yesterday.

Jessica Lawson, 12, died when a pontoon capsized in a lake near Limoges in July 2015.

The girl, who was the youngest child on the trip from Wolfreton School in Willerby, near Hull, became trapped in the water and drowned after teachers and a lifeguard failed to spot her. 

Teachers Steven Layne, Chantelle Lewis and Daisy Stathers, along with lifeguard Leo Lemaire, were accused of the French equivalent of manslaughter by gross negligence following the incident.

They each faced three years’ imprisonment if convicted, but were yesterday cleared of any wrongdoing by judges at the Palais de Justice in Tulle.

Jessica’s parents Tony and Brenda were in floods of tears on steps outside the court after the verdict was delivered.

Tony, overcome with grief, immediately walked out of the courtroom as…