If I considered it dangerous I would have warned them

Dawn Nicholson, teacher

Miss Nicholson, who led an identical walk with another group from the school hours before, told the jury how she had carried out a risk assessment of the activity before the trip took place.

She said she was aware qualified instructors were required for activities such as skiing and rock climbing but not river walking.

Miss Nicholson, who has been a teacher since 1992, said: "To my knowledge we didn't need any qualifications to do that."

She said she had consulted the local education authority's outdoor activities adviser before the trip and he agreed.

Later, the Cauvet family, who were allowed to ask questions through a police family liaison officer, asked Miss Nicholson: "If you had known another group was doing the river walk in the afternoon would you have attempted to warn them."

Hannah was 13-years-old when she died

She replied: "I did not consider it was dangerous. I knew it was difficult.

"If I considered it dangerous I would have warned them."

Earlier, Tony Sugare, representing the Black family, pressed Miss Nicholson as to why she did not warn the later group.

She told the jury the residential trip involved 180 to 200 pupils spread out in four groups at four different youth hostels.

She said each group worked independently.

Mr Sugare asked her: "Were there any formal arrangements for warning other co-ordinators of any unforeseen problems with activities that were being undertaken?"

Swept downstream

Miss Nicholson replied: "No. Before we set off we were given a card with different phone numbers for each centre but nothing formal was arranged."

She said she did not know the Ingleton group, containing Hannah and Rochelle were going to the river in the afternoon, but said she "could have guessed."

Corporate manslaughter

The coroner later told the jury the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had taken the decision there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any of the teachers for manslaughter.

He said the CPS had "considered carefully the actions against a number of individuals ranging from the teachers who were taking the party on the river walk that afternoon to the director of education for Leeds City Council.

He added: "It concluded that there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction."

Mr Sleightholme said the same decision had been taken about corporate manslaughter charges in respect of the school and Leeds City Council.

The inquest was adjourned until Thursday.