Law change 'step closer' after teen's fall death

The father of a teenager who died after falling from the open roof of a building says he feels a step closer to a law change that could stop "easily preventable tragedies".

Gabriel Santer, 15, fell to his death from the Q Park multi-storey car-park on Hanover Street, Liverpool city centre, in 2020.

His father Johnny Santer has been campaigning for legislation known as Gabe's Law, which would see an increase in the minimum height of barriers on the top of car parks to 2.7m, up from the current minimum of 1.1m.

He told BBC Radio Merseyside he is confident the issue is being taken seriously by the government after meeting building safety minister Alex Norris MP earlier.

Gabriel, who was known for his love of skateboarding, died on 3 October 2020 after spending time with his friends in the city centre.

An inquest the following year recorded an open verdict after a coroner heard there was no evidence available to confirm how Gabriel, who was alone at the time, came to fall from the building.

Mr Santer previously told the BBC: "When I went up to the car park I was deeply shocked and saddened to see the height of the barrier Gabriel fell from was actually hip-height."

The bill, called the Multi-storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill, was first proposed in Parliament by Maria Eagle, Labour MP for Mr Santer's constituency Liverpool Garston, in 2023.

At the time she said that while there was a lack of official data, searches of newspaper reports found at least 17 deaths caused by falls from multi-storey car parks in England across 2022.

The bill had been due to move forward but its future was unclear after the general election last July.

However Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Wednesday the government would look at the contents of the bill and issue a call for evidence.

Mr Santer said: "Here we are in 2025, and people in my own city are still dying preventable deaths from these falls, these tragedies from car parks that can be so easily prevented, by just applying the legislation we're asking for.

"It really is that simple."

Mr Santer said he was confident the bill was being taken "extremely seriously at the highest level of government" after meeting Mr Norris.

He also called for other families who have lost loved ones in similar ways to get in contact.

"It's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned, and it will be for everyone who looks into the issue," he said.

"We're not asking for anything other than to keep the most vulnerable members of our communities safe by doing some very rudimentary changes to current legislation."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.