Contractors RJ McLeod were responsible for a construction site that Shea Ryan was able to enter in Glasgow's Drumchapel on July 16 2020.

The 10-year-old bypassed insecure fencing before sitting beside an open manhole cover situated 60 metres from a children's play park.

Shea said to other children there that he "wanted to go down."

Shea Ryan, 10, died after falling through an open manhole near a playpark in Drumchapel, Glasgow.

Prosecutor Saud Ul-Hassan told Glasgow Sheriff Court: “Shea began to climb down the ladder where he slipped and fell.

“From the position of the ladder, he fell to the water below.”

The distance between the ladder and the bottom of the manhole was 6.3 metres. The other children raised the alarm and Shea’s stepfather Graham Patterson entered the manhole.

Police attended and officers found Shea lying on his back with Mr Patterson and a neighbour beside him.

Mr Ul-Hassan said: “Shea was seen to have severe head injuries, cold to the touch and was not breathing.”

An officer brought Shea to the surface and performed CPR before he was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital, but he could not be saved.

The cause of death was noted as “Head injury and drowning.”

RJ McLeod had taken temporary possession from another company ABV. They were carrying out work on a Glasgow City Council project on surface water to reduce flooding in the area.

The company pleaded guilty earlier this week to failing to ensure people not in their employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

Sheriff Matthew Jackson KC told the sentencing that the headline figure for a fine was £1.5 million.

The sheriff stated that this was reduced due to mitigating factors notably the timing of the company's plea.

He said: "Nothing this court can do can bring Shea back who was a wonderful, son and friend as well as a loss to his family, school and all of us.

"What this court can do is select an appropriate sentence.

"Everyone can learn from this dreadful mistake. This is a fine which will remind the company's shareholders and directors of the gravity of this offence.

"This will not lessen in any way or replace the terrible loss of Shea's life."

The earlier hearing was told that the company “failed to undertake a full assessment on the work area and consider its close proximity to the nearby play park and the risk of children being attracted to the site as well as identify the measures to prevent unauthorised access.”

The company was also found not to have kept the existing measures under review.

They were further criticised for not having double fencing on the area of the site. The hearing was told that the fencing had been subject to vandalism in the past and that the site had been breached on six occasions.

The fencing had been bolstered in the past but this did not happen at the area near the play park.

Since the incident, the company has increased its fencing measures and a log has been formed. Manhole covers are also subject to checks.

Motions sensors and solar powered security cameras are also installed.

It was revealed a fatal accident inquiry into Shea’s death will take place at a later date.

Shea Ryan: Firm fined £800,000 after boy fell to death through open manhole in Glasgow