Wildlife park owners deny safety breaches

A TV presenter turned wildlife park owner appeared in court yesterday to deny health and safety breaches after an incident which left a mother and son in hospital.

Celebrity interior designer Anna Ryder Richardson, 48, and husband Colin MacDougall, 46, each denied two separate alleged breaches during the brief hearing.

The couple own and jointly run the Manor House Wildlife Park, in St Florence, near Tenby, west Wales. Ryder Richardson sobbed silently and dabbed her eyes with a tissue during yesterday’s hearing at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court.

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The couple’s company, Manor House Wildlife Park Ltd, also denied committing two breaches of health and safety legislation.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction of the case and adjourned proceedings until May 14 for committal to crown court.

It means the couple will come before a jury for trial later in the year at Swansea Crown Court.

Their appearance before magistrates today follows an incident in August 2010.

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Three-year-old Gruff Davies-Hughes suffered serious head injuries at the park after a heavy branch fell on him during strong winds. He spent three days fighting for his life in intensive care after being airlifted to hospital.

His teacher mother Emma Davies-Hughes, 28, suffered a head injury and fractures to her leg, pelvis, and arm. The mother and son, from Llanelli, were among dozens of people visiting the attraction’s wallaby enclosure at the time.