Ski lift operator avoids jail over death of British schoolboy Kieran Brookes

A ski lift operator has avoided jail over the death of a 14-year-old British school pupil who was killed during a trip to the Alps.

Kieran Brookes, from Devon, died when the straps of his backpack became entangled in the mechanism of the ski lift in Chatel, on the French-Swiss border.

Richard Cettour, 50, of Bonnevaux, France, who was supervising the lift at the time of the tragedy, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

At a brief hearing at the court in Thonon-les-Bains, eastern France, Cettour was given a six-month jail term which has been suspended.

The operator of the lift, SAEM Sports et Tourisme a Chatel, was also accused of involuntary manslaughter but was cleared of the charge.

Cettour was responsible for the safety of the skiers using the lift, but was found to have not been at his post during the time of the accident, and not reacting to other skiers who were calling for him to press the emergency stop button.