Blood-stained photographs of a bouncy castle which went airborne into a primary school, killing six children, were shown during a court hearing.

Taz-Zorb operator Rosemary Gamble is accused of failing to comply with health and safety obligations following the incident at Hillcrest Primary School in December 2021.

Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt died during the year-end celebrations at the Tasmanian school oval.

Gamble, who installed inflatables at the school with two other workers, pleaded not guilty and faces a two-week hearing at Devonport Magistrates’ Court.

Images of red-brown stains on the castle were shown in court on Wednesday, where the families of the children who died were present.

Some of the stains were on the roof of the castle and on the walls.

The court was previously told a “mini-tornado” lifted the castle several meters into the air, with one witness saying it traveled 75 meters across an oval.

It is alleged that the castle was only tied to four of the eight mooring points and with keys that did not meet Australian standards.

Prosecutor Madeleine Wilson said Gamble had other means available, such as star pickets, to tie down the castle but did not use them.

The court was shown photographs of star pickets in the back tray of a ute at the school.

Constable Dean Wotherspoon, who photographed the equipment, said some nails at the site – used to secure other items and not the castle – were rusty.

East Inflatables, the Chinese manufacturer of the bouncy castle, sold the item to Gamble in November 2015, the court was told.

East Inflatables sales manager Andy Chen said through an interpreter that the company generally provided four to eight nails to people buying the bouncy castles.

During opening submissions on Tuesday, Gamble’s lawyer Chris Dockray said his client had received a written assurance from East Inflatables that the bouncy house complied with Australian standards.

The manufacturer didn’t provide a manual, but Gamble downloaded a one-and-a-half-page document explaining how to operate the castle from the company’s website, he said.

The document was misleading and was updated with a 13-page manual after the fatal incident, Mr Dockray said.

He said evidence about the strength and unexpected nature of the “dust devil” wind would show the Crown’s proposed binding methods would not have changed the outcome.

Several witness statements read to the court described a “mini-tornado” that lifted the castle meters into the air.

Five of the six children died of injuries after falling from a height, while one was hit with an electric blower, the court was told.

The hearing will end on November 15.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Child Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5-25)