Paddleboarding tragedy (why did she do this?)

[PassingStranger]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/former-cops-grovelling-voice-note-35105323

Did anyone else see this on the news?
4 people died
Horrific, imagine their panic.

What was behind this desire to take them out, when she shouldn't have.
I'll presume it was money sadly.😢

I'm glad she got prison.

I assume she thought it was safe otherwise she wouldn't have risked her own life. Crazy and reckless, she wasn't qualified for river trips I don't think, only lakes? Just arrogance that she knew better. Wasn't she also suspended from the police for suspected fraud at the time, so not a nice person.

I was surprised she got 10 years though, did not think she'd get that long.

I cannot understand how someone can be SO thoughtless with regards to others safety, especially when it comes to water.

I feel awful for the families of the victims who lost their loved ones in a completely pointless way. Stupid, stupid woman.

Yes it was big news here two days ago when she was in court in Swansea. Reckless I think, she was out there too, so reckless with her own life and other people’s lives. I think it’s fitting that her sentence is at the upper end of the scale, but it’s hard to come up with a just sentence when four people are no longer alive.

Clearly it was very poor judgement. She should have known better but she obviously didn’t as she risked her own life too.

I personally felt 10years was a little harsh but my DH totally disagreed. So perhaps I am being overly sympathetic to her. It’s obviously appalling that 4 people died when they should never have been there in the conditions.

I feel less sympathetic given that one of the people who died was her fellow instructor who got out, but then returned to the water to try to rescue the others. She didn't even try.

He also tried to suggest they avoid that particular route that day as it was unsafe. Bloody awful. Can’t imagine the pain the victims families have gone through and will continue to go through.

It's got to be arrogance and stupidity, a lethal mix! But she wasn't even qualified to take them out. And there was no safety briefing I think, and a suggestion about lack of safety equipment? Terrible 😢

Sounds like he knew a lot more about it than she did, ridiculous that she didn't listen to him.

I read that the judge didn’t show video footage as it was extremely distressing. I think she deserves her sentence, in fact considering that 4 people died I think she got off lightly.

I think 10yrs for 4 lives is shockingly low and let's be honest she won't serve the full sentence either, disgraceful.

Pure arrogance

Reading about her being sacked from the police and having a caution for fraud, I formed the impression she was a chancer - always assuming she would get away with reckless behaviour.

Could be arrogance, stupidity, laziness. When you run any activity or business that involves the safety of others you have to be 100% on the ball. Risk assessments, insurance, full information to everyone, Plan B in case something goes wrong, everything documented. It’s never worth or acceptable to cut corners.

I used to be called the H&S nightmare at work because everything was covered in minute detail. But I slept at night and no one died.

She got off lightly. 10 years is nothing for four people’s lives.

I volunteer in an activity where safety is key and the amount of other volunteers who are quite happy to take risks like this is quite shocking, even when guidelines quite clearly say stop in X circumstances. I've had people be utterly vitriolic to me when I've enforced those safety guidelines because they see it as spoiling fun.

That was the impression I got. Rules were for other people. Arrogance, greed and stupidity are a dangerous combination

She’s a monster and the sentence was way too short. She really wasn’t bothered in the videos and she tried to blame her co worker that died. I hope she is eternally miserable and suffers for the rest of her life.

Deserved longer. 4 lives lost. Arrogant piece.

She was referred to as arrogant in court. I remember the case at the time and wondered what had happened but the whole trip was an accident waiting to happen with no health and safety briefing or risk assessment etc which the judge said she would have known was essential as she was a police officer and volunteered for the RNLI.

I will say that I was also surprised at the ten year sentence.

The ones that cause the tragedy often survive.

Humans are terrible at judging risk.

It is why we have to have safety policies and procedures that people must follow - without structures that have been carefully drawn up, people make much riskier choices than they actually understand.

Combined with a bit of arrogance and it is a deadly combo.

Ten years for four murders?

Horrendous.

It was a clear cut case of her being the person in charge of making the negligent decisions, and the fact that she'd done health and safety training with both the police and RNLI. So the guilty verdict was straightforward.

The more complicated situations involving large organisations/ corps can be just as culpable but hard to pin blame on.

I was pleased to hear they are bringing in fines for water companies who pollute open water.

Don't think it was murder

I listened to this on the radio on the day of the sentencing. She was completely negligent. She didn't give them necessary safety equipment, didn't do a risk assessment, didn't check the course conditions and took them out at a time of flooding and severe weather warnings.