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The Langton Arms pub where wife died after falling down cellar handed £240k fine
The owners of a pub where a customer died after falling through an unlocked cellar door has been ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling more than £285,000.
Julie Hyatt, 57, was having lunch with her husband, Paul, and friends at The Langton Arms at Church Langton, near Market Harborough, in Leicestershire, in May 2023.
She hadn't been drinking and was following signs to the toilet, when she opened an unmarked and unlocked door, not knowing it was to the pub's cellar, and fell down a steep flight of stairs.
Mrs Hyatt suffered serious injuries from which she died in hospital 12 days later.
At Leicester Magistrates' Court, the RedCat Pub Company, based in London, admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by exposing persons not in its employment to a risk to their health and safety.
At the hearing, held on the second anniversary of Mrs Hyatt's funeral, the company was fined £240,000 and ordered to pay costs of £43,633.06p along with a £2,000 surcharge.
In determining the level of fine and costs, District Judge Nick Watson said he had taken into account that RedCat's parent company had a turnover of more than £120million.
He said he wanted to "bring it home to shareholders and management that they must take health and safety seriously".
He added "Any sentence that I impose could not equate to the loss of Mrs Hyatt to her family and friends."
In statements read to the court, it was revealed Mrs Hyatt and her husband had been looking forward to retirement and moving to the Norfolk coast.
Married since 1987, they shared many interests and a passion for sport with Mrs Hyatt being a Leicester City season ticket holder for more than 30 years.
The court heard that Mrs Hyatt's death was foreseeable. The company had failed to properly train staff and had left customers confused by inadequate and inconsistent signs.
In a statement read to the court, Richard Lewis, CEO of RedCat Pub Company, expressed his "sincere personal regret" as the death was "entirely avoidable". The company said it accepted full responsibility.
"We are genuinely very sorry ... We have plainly failed the Hyatt family. We will do all we can to prevent anything of the like happening again," added Mr Lewis.
The court heard the company had since put in place risk assessments and evaluated the way in which it conducts staff training in relation to health and safety.
ITV News Central Correspondent Peter Bearne sat down with the Paul Hyatt last year, who is still waiting for answers more than 12 months after his wife's death.
In the time that passed, Paul, from Countesthorpe, repeatedly contacted the council for updates on the case, but said he has got nowhere.
Paul has learned Harborough District Council have brought in a solicitor from another council to help with the case.
In 2024, the council asked Paul for Julie's death certificate, something that the family won't get until after the inquest.
ITV News Central is also aware of two other similar cases elsewhere in the country which came to court in 12 months.
Speaking to ITV News Central, following the incident, Paul said: "It was hell at the time. I was in some very, very dark places."
He added: "I just wish somebody would go in and shake that department up and get this sorted. Enough is enough. All I want is justice...I lost my wife."
In response, Harborough District Council say that they sympathise with Mr Hyatt's frustrations.
They told ITV News Central this case is a complex and lengthy criminal investigation, and they're unable to comment on its progress.
"Specialist legal resource, they added, was allocated without delay. They said they've liaised with Mr Hyatt and his solicitor as much as they can, but there's a limit to what they can disclose."The Redcat Pub Company, which runs the Langton Arms, said: "We have and will continue to fully co-operate with the investigations being carried out by the authorities with regards to this incident."
