Conspiracy over rower’s death

A series of controversies has been brought to light during a second inquest into the death of lightweight rower Leo Blockley in December 2000. Senior members of Blockley’s rowing club OULRC were found to have conspired to withhold information from the University’s investigation into the tragedy. Blockley, who was studying for a Masters in Applied Statistics at Lincoln College, went missing after his team’s boat was swamped by waves on the river Ebro while on a training camp near Barcelona on 29 December 2000 just days before his 22nd birthday. His body was found almost a month later several miles downstream. The tragedy was blamed on “freak weather” resulting in 50mph winds which caused the boat to capsize when the crew attempted to cross the river. The first inquest into Blockley’s death in 2001 had recorded a verdict of “accidental death” but when Blockley’s parents uncovered new information relating to safety they contacted the coroner, John Pollard. In an unusual move, Pollard obtained a High Court order enabling him to quash his original verdict on 2 March this year. Speaking to Cherwell, Blockley’s parents said, “We felt Leo’s death had been avoidable. We decided we would campaign to make sure this totally unnecessary and easily remedied problem was sorted.”After Mr and Mrs Blockley met with members of the crew and one of the coaches it emerged that senior members of the OULRC made an agreement not to disclose information relating to the head coach, Leila Hudson. It transpired that she had been drinking only a few hours before embarking on the river.Reverend Jeremy Fagan, then President of the OULRC, told the inquest that the head coach’s “abilities were certainly impaired” as she was “still under the influence of alcohol.” In his narrative verdict at the Stockport Coroner’s Court, Pollard criticised the boat club, saying it was “a matter of great regret that they regarded the reputation of the rowing club as of greater importance than the death of a young man.” He said that “There was what might have been called a conspiracy or also more accurately an agreement by a number of senior officers of the OULRC that they would not make known that the head coach had been suffering the effects of alcohol at the time of death.” He said that University investigator Richard Hartley had been “kept in the dark” and unable to carry out a full investigation. However, Pollard conceded that the fact that Hudson had been drinking the night before had probably not influenced the outcome of the incident.The inquest heard further that there had been no OULRC safety officer in place at the time of Leo’s death. There was confusion between the President of the crew and the Head Coach as to who was responsible for safety and as a result basic safety procedure had been disregarded. The Amateur Rowing Association said in a statement that the inquest revealed “a worrying disregard for the ARA’s guidance on water safety within the OULRC” and that they were disappointed that Fagan “failed to raise his concerns about drunkeness” when he first reported the incident to the association.Fagan responded to the statement, saying “I find it interesting that the ARA seeks to put blame onto me in a way that the coroner specifically didn’t do… I was the first person to tell the Blockleys and their solicitor about what I had seen of Leila [Hudson] that morning, and I have apologised to them, to the coroner, and to the then University Marshal Richard Hartley, for not telling them sooner.”Dr Jonathan Price from Queen’s College, who was the Junior Coach at the time of Leo’s death, also testified at the second inquest. He agreed that Pollard’s verdict was “fair, reasonable and comprehensive,” and described it as “a great relief to have given evidence publicly on this matter, after almost five years.”Jon Roycroft, appointed Oxford University Director of Sport since Blockley’s death, pointed out that “things have changed massively in the last five years” in terms of rowing safety. The coaches on the 2000 trip had been volunteers without clear employment regulations: the University now uses professional, paid coaches. Roycroft stressed that “rowing is now one of the most developed [sports] in terms of safety,” emphasising that since 2003 all members of university and college crews have had to take part in a swim test in accordance with the ARA Water Safety Code. A spokesperson for Oxford University said that they hoped the narrative verdict would “bring an end to any outstanding doubts or concerns of the family or others involved in the tragedy that the causes may not have been fully explored or understood.” They said that the University “takes the safety and welfare of all those involved in sporting activities extremely seriously.”Fagan said “Leo was very hardworking, good fun to be around and he always gave 100%.” Asked about the inquest he said that he was “glad everything is out in the open.” He added that he hoped safety measures would change soon and emphasised the importance of boat buoyancy and targeted safety training for crew members. Mr and Mrs Blockley have since founded the Leo Blockley memorial campaign which presses for improved boat buoyancy. They told Cherwell: “We have no bad feelings towards the crew who lived through the terror of the accident…They looked to senior people to guide them, but that guidance was wrong.” They added that they would “always be indebted” to the brave members of the crew who were “put under pressure to keep it all quiet.” They described Leo as “someone you would always remember even if you only met him once.” “He was generous and genuinely caring and he lived life to the full. We consider it a privilege to have had him as a son.”ARCHIVE: 1st week MT 2005