Lifeguard fined £200 after man drowns in Walsall swimming pool
A lifeguard has been fined £200 for failing to take reasonable care of a man who drowned at a West Midlands university swimming pool.
Alex Cotterill, 28, was convicted by a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court of failing in his duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of pool users.
The court heard that Cotterill, from Willenhall, was on duty at the University of Wolverhampton's Walsall campus when he failed to spot that father-of-three Adrian Miles was at the bottom of the pool.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the prosecution against Cotterill, who denied failing to supervise the pool with reasonable care.
Mr Miles, 48, had gone swimming at the university pool as part of his recovery from a rugby injury in July 2006, but got into difficulties.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on a second lifeguard charged with the same offence and was discharged by the trial judge.
Speaking after the case, HSE Inspector Kanwal Kanda said of Cotterill's conviction: "It is completely unacceptable for those with a responsibility for the safety of others to neglect their duty.
"While the lifeguard did not cause Mr Miles to get into difficulty, his neglect of duty was clearly a major factor in leaving him and potentially others using the pool unnecessarily exposed to risk.
"Standards are well established through training and they must be applied by lifeguards to ensure swimmers are safe."
