Lancashire | Archive | 2005 | September | 7
From the archive, first published Wednesday 7th Sep 2005.
BOLTON Wanderers Football Club has been ordered to pay almost £100,000 for a breach of health and safety rules after an accident in which a boy died.
Christopher Ormesher, aged 14, died after crashing into a chain on his 125cc motorbike while riding on car park B at the Reebok Stadium in August, 2003.
The teenager was comforted at the scene by parents Stuart and Brenda and Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce, who rushed to help, but he died a short time later at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
On Tuesday the club was fined £90,000 at Bolton Crown Court and ordered to pay costs of £9,695.
Following the tragedy, Bolton Council launched a health and safety investigation and decided to take legal action after the club was criticised at an inquest into Christopher's death in March. During the inquest the club was criticised for not marking the car park chain with reflective strips, despite two accidents having taken place in the same place in December, 2002 and May, 2003.
Bolton Council's environmental health department had visited the stadium after the first incident and agreed with the Wanderers that reflective sleeves should be bought, the hearing was told in March.
They were then purchased and placed on the chains.
But after the second incident it was agreed that chevron boards needed to be placed over the chains to draw further attention to them.
These were not ordered by the club and the initial sleeves were not on the chain when Christopher died, the court was told.
Sentencing the club, Judge Tim Clayson said although Christopher and his parents were technically trespassing, the club had failed in its responsibility "to conduct an undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of persons not in its employment".
He said the club failed to implement a safety plan it established with Bolton Council to install barriers, to log inspections of the car park and to update the authority and the company in charge of Wanderers' security.
He said: "An investigation of the accident revealed just one barrier had been fitted at one end. The chain had no high-visibility chevrons or markings. After the accident in May, 2003, the defendant did not write to the security company it used to update it."
He told Wanderers' chief executive Allan Duckworth and Daniel Reuben, communications manager, the club only escaped a £150,000 fine because it pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Speaking outside court Mr Reuben said: "Bolton Wanderers FC wishes to place on record its deepest sympathy towards the Ormesher family following the tragic loss of Christopher Ormesher in an accident on August 31, 2003.
"Since the Reebok Stadium opened in September, 1997 the club has operated a policy of ongoing review and improvement of health and safety measures.
"During this time the club has spent at least £500,000 externally to the stadium in this regard."
The club was fined £12,000 in 2000 when a five-year-old girl fell through a floor gap during an organised tour of the stadium.
The new fine must be paid by December 31.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008