The operator of a jumping castle pulled from the ground by a wind gust, killing six children, has appeared in court this week over her alleged part in the tragedy.
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00:00It was a December day in 2021 that the news rippled around the world.
00:07The northwest Tasmanian community of Devonport is reeling tonight after a shocking tragedy at a primary school.
00:14It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm a sixth child has lost their life.
00:19Six children have been killed and three seriously injured when a gust of wind,
00:24described in the court as a mini-tornado, lifted the Jumping Castle into the air at an end-of-school-year event.
00:32Trading as TasZorb, Rosemary Gamble was the operator of the Jumping Castle.
00:37This week she's appeared in court, charged with failing to comply with her duty to health and safety, to which she's pleaded not guilty.
00:47Watching on, parents of the young victims carrying their children's images with them as they arrived at the Devonport Magistrates' Court.
00:56Prosecutors allege Ms Gamble didn't properly secure the castle and used only four instead of eight pegs.
01:03Ms Gamble's lawyer told the court the Jumping Castle, bought from a company called East Inflatables,
01:08only came with four pegs and no instructions that she'd had to find her own online.
01:13He also said the court would hear the wind gust was so extreme, none of the suggested interventions would have prevented it lifting.
01:20Prosecutors also allege Ms Gamble failed to train her workers properly.
01:25One of those who set up the castle that day was Robert Monti, Ms Gamble's partner.
01:30He told the hearing he and Ms Gamble weren't formally trained, saying they'd done a lot of YouTube searching,
01:36watching other people, seeing how they set up castles.
01:40Jesse Barrett also helped set up the Inflatable that day.
01:43He recounted the moment it was whipped into the air, saying he'd looked at Rosemary or Robert to see if it was real and just started running after it.
01:52It reached about 10 metres high, then touched the ground for a split second and that's when the kids fell out and then it went up again.
02:01A video from the United States was played in the court with a content warning given to families beforehand.
02:08It depicts a jumping castle with no children on it, being carried away by a dust devil.
02:14It's been an emotional first week. Families of the victims have filled the courtroom each day.
02:21They've cried and embraced during some of the more harrowing elements,
02:26and Ms Gamble wept as the extent of the children's injuries were detailed.
02:31The hearing's expected to finish at the end of next week.