A pub chain has been fined more than £1.5 million after a Durham University student, Olivia Burt, lost her life in an accident involving a decorative screen outside a nightclub.
The incident occurred in February 2018 when 20-year-old Olivia Burt suffered severe head injuries after a heavy decorative screen collapsed on her while she was queuing outside Missoula bar in Durham.
Following a three-week trial, Stonegate, the largest pub chain in the UK, was found guilty of a health and safety breach. The jury at Teesside Crown Court learned that the screen had fallen over 30 minutes prior to the incident but was simply lifted back into place, missing the opportunity to prevent the tragedy.
Stonegate was acquitted of three other charges as ruled by the judge on Thursday.
On Friday, the pub chain was fined £1.56 million and ordered to pay £225,774 in costs.
Ms Burt’s parents expressed their disappointment with Stonegate for disregarding customer safety by using the screens.
The court heard that the venue was crowded with student sports teams, and a gathering of people had formed outside when the incident took place.
As a result of the surge of people, Ms Burt was pushed through one of the screen’s panels, which were designed for decoration rather than crowd control, causing her head to hit the pavement. The weight of other customers then landed on her head, resulting in a tragic outcome.
Judge Howard Crowson dismissed the defence’s argument that the screens themselves were not dangerous. He stated that it was evident there was a risk of the screen falling again after it had previously fallen and was simply lifted back into position.
In this case, in my view, the breach led to the death of Olivia,” Judge Crowson remarked.
Following the court’s ruling on Thursday, Olivia Burt’s parents, Paula and Nigel, expressed their sentiments regarding Stonegate’s actions. They stated, “Stonegate showed a complete dereliction of their duties and disregard for the safety of those attending, including Olivia.”
They further added, “Olivia was at the start of her adult life in her first year at university and had so much to look forward to; this was taken away from her in the cruellest possible way. Our lives will never be the same again – we are heartbroken.”
The fine imposed on Stonegate serves as a consequence for their failure to meet their duty of care, resulting in the tragic loss of a young student’s life.
