Bosses of the Jurassic Encounter who brought dinosaurs “back to life” in a north London park are facing a criminal prosecution after one of the mechanical beasts fell over and injured a child, a court heard.
Fifty life-sized animatronic models — including velociraptors, triceratops, and an 18-metre tall T-rex — were set up in Grovelands Park, Southgate, in the summer of 2021.
The exhibition was trumpeted as the start of a nationwide tour, promising “unmissable family fun” that allowed visitors to “walk among breathing, screeching, and roaring dinosaurs”.
But the firm behind the exhibition and three of the organisers are accused of putting visitors in peril with a series of alleged safety failings. Highbury Corner magistrates’ court heard health and safety inspectors are said to have discovered untethered dinosaurs in the park, sub-standard fencing, and a lack of security guards to keep children safe.
Enfield council took steps to shut the event down after the child was injured in August 2021, the court heard.
The company behind the show, Event 2020S Ltd, director David Fung Lee, 54, health and safety manager Julian Duncan, 69, and worker Dylan Zheng, 39, have been charged following a council investigation.
Catriona McFarlane, prosecuting, said: “There were large models of dinosaurs designed to attract children. One of the exhibits fell over and the child was injured.”
Inspectors are said to have found “problems with how the dinosaurs were displayed, they weren’t completely tethered, some didn’t have sufficient fencing on the perimeter limits, and there weren’t sufficient officers from the company to stop children getting access to the exhibits in a way that could result in danger.”
The prosecutor added: “Fortunately the child has no long-term injuries. But this is a very serious incident and could have so easily gone the other way.”
It is alleged the exhibition was shut down for a day but then reopened, in breach of a council order.
The exhibition was scheduled to run from July 24 to August 10, 2021, with family tickets on sale for £50.
None of the defendants turned up for a court hearing in June, and the case was adjourned to be heard by a district judge on July 13.
Duncan, from Stockton-on-Tees, the company, which is listed to an address in Aldgate, and Lee, of Orpington, are accused of failing to discharge a general health and safety duty. It is said they failed to ensure members of the public “were not exposed to risks”. They are also accused of two counts of contravening a health and safety at work prohibition notice.
Duncan, Lee, and Zheng, of Birmingham, are also charged with contravening a requirement imposed by an inspector under the Health and Safety Act. It is said they failed to provide information to investigators between December 2022 and April this year.
No pleas have yet been entered.
