A care home manager has avoided prison after two vulnerable wheelchair users drowned during a supervised day out. Janice Sowden, 60, the registered manager of Burdon Grange Care Home in Devon, pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment, which resulted in the preventable deaths of Alexander Wood, 43, and Alison Tilsley, 63.
Fatal Outing at Roadford Lake
The tragedy occurred in June 2022 when Sowden took six wheelchair-using residents to an activity centre at Roadford Lake, Devon. The group used a wheelyboat, designed to accommodate wheelchairs, but the vessel began taking on water and capsized within minutes. Prosecutor James Marsland told the court that Wood and Tilsley were strapped into electric wheelchairs with no means of release, and they drowned due to the weight of their chairs pulling them underwater. A third resident, Kate Date, was seriously injured.
Lack of Risk Assessment
The court heard that Sowden failed to conduct any risk assessment for the outing, despite the residents' extreme vulnerability. Judge Stuart Smith described her attitude as "blasé" about safety, noting that insufficient consideration was given to staff capabilities—one staff member could not swim. Sowden had been registered manager since 2016 and was previously considered caring and diligent, but a "cultural complacency" had developed at the home.
Attempt to Deceive Investigators
Following the incident, Sowden attempted to fabricate evidence by creating a fake safety checklist to deceive investigators. Judge Smith stated, "This case is nothing short of devastating… the lives of two much-loved residents have been lost. This was in no small part a direct consequence of your cavalier attitude to good health and safety practice."
Sentence and Compensation
Sowden was sentenced to a suspended prison term and ordered to pay a total of £4,090, including a £190 government surcharge and £2,000 toward prosecution costs. The families of the victims expressed immeasurable grief, with the judge noting that the incident has caused lasting pain.
