In reply to Bob Kemp:
I can remember the reading about the Clarkson story in the national press at the time, probably the Sunday Times. I don't remember it being covered in the climbing press at all; even though it might have been just before I had started to scour them all, I don't even remember any references or commentary in later editions either. Perhaps it raised too many awkward questions with no clear cut answers.
FWIW I've always climbed trad with my kids from a young age, certainly before they could reliably hold a leader fall. I've had one very dodgy moment - Sam slipped on the wet grass slopes above Craig Ddu's Rib and Slab. I was able to hold him on a very hurried Alpine belay round a spike; 9 times out of 10 I would have unroped by then, and he wouldn't have survived. Food for thought.