Pub licence holder fined after teen dies in crash following illegal alcohol sale
Hector Eccles, 16, died after leaving a Worsthorne pub on a farm bike, moments after being served five pints of strong lager.
A pub licence holder has been fined after a 16-year-old boy was illegally served alcohol before dying in a crash.
Hector Eccles had been drinking at the Roggerham Gate in Worsthorne on March 30, 2024, before leaving the pub on his Polaris farm bike.
Moments later, he lost control and crashed, suffering fatal injuries. His friend, who was travelling as a passenger, was not seriously hurt.
Anthony Wiazcek, 65, of Todmorden Road, Burnley, was convicted last month of selling alcohol to a person under 18 following a two-day trial at Burnley Magistrates’ Court.
Burnley and Padiham Police said Wiazcek was the premises licence holder and Designated Premises Supervisor at the time, and was the only person behind the bar on the night.
Police said Wiazcek had known Hector since he was a baby, had taken him to football matches when he was younger, and knew he was under 18.
He was fined £660 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264, as well as £650 towards prosecution costs. His personal alcohol licence was also suspended for three months.
In a victim personal statement, Hector’s mum, Wendy Eccles, described the devastating impact of her son’s death.
She said: “My life has been destroyed beyond repair. The day Hector died I died with him. We don’t live our lives now, we just exist.
“People say how do you carry on and the answer is you don’t. I am just a hollow shell wanting my old life back every minute of every day.”
She said Hector never had the chance to take his GCSEs or attend his school prom, adding that the family are now forced to live through milestones while watching his friends grow up.
Mrs Eccles said: “How do you carry on when your whole world has been taken from you in one night due to lack of duty of care? And you know that this could have been avoided if duty of care was practised that night.
“Hector was a happy schoolboy loving life.
“How can we carry on building up a business like we have for years for Hector? As farming was all Hector wanted to do and was extremely passionate about it.
“My heart has been smashed and will never be repaired.”
Licensing Sergeant Steve Dundon, for Burnley, Rossendale, Pendle and Ribble Valley, said: “I welcome the outcome of this trial.
“Whilst nothing will bring back Hector, this incident serves to highlight the reasons the sale of alcohol is strictly controlled and the consequences that can follow irresponsible sale.
“We will continue to work proactively with licensed premises to ensure compliance, and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where those responsibilities are ignored.”