Ride operator charged over Freds Pass Show accident will plead not guilty, court hears

A Darwin carnival ride operator will contest charges laid against him by NT WorkSafe after a ride accident at the Freds Pass Show which left two people injured and children stuck in 2019, a court heard.

• Ride operator charged over shocking Freds Pass Show crash
• Eight people trapped on show ride

A DARWIN carnival ride operator will contest charges laid against him by NT WorkSafe after a ride accident at the Freds Pass Show which left two people injured and children stuck in 2019, a court heard.

Tyrone Troy Taylor, 52, appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Thursday charged with four breaches of the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011.

Taylor’s lawyer, Bimaya De Silva, told the court her client intends to plead not guilty, with the matter likely to go to a hearing.

The charges stem from an accident at the 2019 Fred’s Pass Show which saw one of the tension arms on the Octopus Ride break, causing the sweep arm to buckle and the attached gondola to crash to the ground, injuring both passengers on May 18.

Taylor supplied and operated the rides for the show.

An NT WorkSafe investigation allegedly found the Octopus Ride had a number of defects on the sweep arms and tension rods compromising the structural integrity of the ride.

The matter will return to court on August 6.

Follow @MsSarahMatthews