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Parents of a boy killed in an indoor ski slope tragedy have said they feel "destroyed" after being denied an inquest into his death. Natalie and Chris Watkiss spoke outside South Staffordshire Coroner's Court in Stafford on Friday after coroner Fiona Gingell said there would be no formal inquest into the death of their son Louis. The 12-year-old died when a member of the SnowDome's staff Joseph Dibb walked out on the slope on the evening of September 24, 2021, while a tobogganing session was taking place. Louis had been attending a friend's birthday party when he went down the slope riding a toboggan and Mr Dibb, the manager that night, walked out to deal with a lump of ice. But he had not been wearing a high vis jacket and turned facing away from oncoming tobogannists, walking into Louis' path. He collided with Louis and fell on the boy, causing a catastrophic head injury that a pathologist said was "not survivable." Natalie and Chris have been pressing for justice for their son. A criminal investigation by the Health and Safety Executive concluded earlier this year, with the SnowDome admitting responsibility for Louis' death and receiving a £100,000 fine. The family had hoped a formal inquest would take place in open court in order for lessons to be learned. Ms Gingell said: "There was no part of the statutory investigation that needs to be carried out." The purpose of an inquest is narrow and is held to establish who died, when, where and how. After the hearing, Natalie and Chris said the subsequent judicial process and their pursuit of an inquest had left them "destroyed." Natalie told BirminghamLive : "We are still in shock and we haven’t had chance to grieve because the whole system has taken that away from us. We haven’t been able to remember Louis for who he was because we just remember him in the system. So, we’re exhausted. We’re tired. "I think as a family, not just us but our wider family, it’s completely and utterly just ripped us apart. And Louis’ grandparent [Richard] with his outrage at the end. We’re ill, we’re exhausted aren’t we." She continued: "We just need to need to rest now and spend time with our other beautiful son who has lost his parents for the last four years really. And actually had said to me ‘mummy, please when is this going to stop? I’m here and I need you.' "We’re going to go home now and pick him up. We are going to spend time with him and try to live. And remember Louis, for the legacy that he was. We won’t let that legacy die. "His death can’t be for nothing, we will have to keep him alive. That grieving process is coming now, a little bit. Because when now the silence comes, the reality comes." Louis' dad, Chris commented: "Every minute, every hour, every day is just pure pain. That’s sometimes put on hold, but now we are terrified of what’s going to follow. Because with nothing left to fight for at the minute, it’s going to hit us hard. Harder than it ever has done before I believe." The SnowDome was fined £100,000 by District Judge Kevin Grego and was also ordered to pay a further £16,000 costs. The family branded the fine as "ridiculous" and a "slap on the wrists."
