Nerys Lloyd Loses Appeal Against 10.5-Year Sentence for 4 Paddleboarding Deaths
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 5
Nerys Lloyd Loses Appeal Against 10.5-Year Sentence for 4 Paddleboarding Deaths
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 5
Summary
Three Appeal Court judges refused Nerys Bethan Lloyd permission to challenge the 10-year, six-month term she received for gross negligence manslaughter over four deaths on Wales' Western Cleddau river.
Lady Justice May said the sentencing judge's approach was proportionate given the number of victims, rejecting defense arguments that the punishment was manifestly excessive.
Lloyd, 39, had pleaded guilty in March 2025 after leading a seven-person paddleboard outing in October 2021 despite being unqualified, with the court later condemning an "abysmal" approach to safety.
Heavy rain had left the river in flood, and the group attempted to navigate an 11-meter weir where prosecutors said footage showed immense turbulence; participant Paul O'Dwyer and three others died.