Joint FAIs to be held into drowning deaths of schoolboy and man in River Tay

A joint inquiry is to be held into separate fatal water incidents involving a schoolboy and a man five years apart in the River Tay.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) will be held into the deaths of Kayden Walker, 12, from Glasgow, and Ruaridh Stevenson, 39, from Cupar.

Kayden, from Bridgeton, died in the river after getting into difficulty while boogie boarding with a youth group at Stanley, north of Perth.

The 12-year-old became separated from his board during the activity and was trapped on the upstream side of a weir while on a day trip with the Church House community group.

The schoolboy, whose activity consent form stated that he was unable to swim ten metres without the assistance of a flotation device, was the last child to go over the weir between two Church House employees.

After it was noticed the schoolboy’s board had resurfaced, an instructor from Outdoor Pursuits Scotland went to the top of the weir and reached into the water to locate the missing 12-year-old.

He discovered Kayden at an arm’s length under the water’s surface, but was unable to pull him out.

After around three and a half minutes he eventually managed to free him but the force of the water carried Kayden down the weir where the company’s director caught him and immediately started to perform CPR.

Kayden was airlifted to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, before he was transported to Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children.

He died the following day on July 29, 2019.

Perth and Kinross Council launched an investigation following the death and found that the company’s risk assessment for river boarding did not have adequate health and safety control measures in place.

A further inquiry carried out by the Crown included taking opinion from a water activities expert.

The expert’s view was that the company should have always had one instructor directly below and one instructor in a kayak above the weir until all the group members had successfully negotiated the rapid.

The FAI’s announcement comes after Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety legislation at Perth Sheriff Court on October 21, 2024, and was fined £10,000.

It will also investigate the death of Ruaridh Stevenson, 39, who drowned after attempting to assist a client who experienced difficulties in the waters flowing through Dollar Glen, Stirlingshire on April 13, 2024.

Mr Stevenson was a director of a company which offered ‘canyoning’ experiences on Scottish rivers.

The inquiry into Stevenson’s death is mandatory because it happened during working hours, while the Crown said it was voluntarily holding an FAI into Kayden’s death.

A preliminary hearing has been set for September 2, 2025, at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) includes determining the cause of death; the circumstances in which the deaths occurred, and to establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.          

Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the deaths of Ruaridh Stevenson and Kayden Walker occurred in similar circumstances, both deaths occurring while they were engaged in water based outdoor activities.

“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff. The families of Ruaridh and Kayden will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress.”