Trampoline park boss facing jail for cover-up after four children broke legs

A business owner is facing jail after four children broke their legs at his American-themed trampoline park.

Philip Booth, 60, failed to tell authorities when a boy and girl, both aged three, and two girls, aged nine and 11, were hurt at his park.

A court heard they suffered injuries while jumping on trampolines and into foam pits at Supajump in Cardiff Bay, Wales.

The park boasts 20,000 square feet of interconnected trampolines along with "angled walls, tricks airbag, slam dunk basketball and a battle beam".

Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard the children were injured between April 2018 and August 2019.

Booth, of St Mellons, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to report an accident at the park.

He also admitted two counts of failing to ensure people were not exposed to health and safety risks while using play equipment.

The court heard another young woman suffered a spinal injury at the park, but Booth has not been charged over that incident.

District judge Steve Harmes said: “I’ve assessed this case at the very high culpability, category two harm, because injuries such as this are serious and could’ve been more serious.

“You clearly and blatantly disregarded the law, disregarded the advice you were given by the council, and all these injuries occurred: none of which were reported, some of which there was an effort on staff’s part to minimise them by telling people to cross things out on forms that were handed in about what happened.

“So for all those reasons, I’m going to commit you for sentencing to the crown court.”

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The judge said he would have only had the power to sentence Booth to a maximum of six months behind bars.

Booth will be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on 27 April.

The Supajump website says: "Supajump’s trampoline arena has over 100 interconnected trampolines for bouncing, practising your flips and keeping fit!" The site also features an American sweet shop and Uncle Sam's American Diner.