Joseph Holts fined after death caused by fall at Rosehill Tavern

Elaine Horrocks was just 54 years old when she died on January 13, 2018, after falling down the stairs of the Rosehill Tavern in Westhoughton. 

Ms Horrocks fell into the staff-only cellar through a door which should have been locked, as per the pub's safety protocol. 

She was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead the next day. 

Following her death a criminal case was brought against Joseph Holt Ltd, the pub chain which owns the Rosehill Tavern. 

The firm was prosecuted at Bolton Crown Court Court for health and safety breaches against its customers and staff. 

Prosecuting, Simon Hilton said: "The prosecution followed on from an accident on January 13, 2018 at the Rose Hill Tavern in Westhoughton, when a customer, Elaine Horrocks, fell down a flight of steps which led into the pub cellar. 

"The defendant owns the tavern, exercises control and has safety responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. 

"January 13, 2018 was a busy Saturday night at the Rose Hill Tavern. At 11pm a customer noticed the door leading to the cellar ajar. 

"The customer went down to investigate and found Ms Horrocks lying unconscious." 

He added: "She was found with a fractured skull and died the following day. The post mortem found her injuries were consistent with a heavy impact which you might get having fallen down stairs. 

Elaine Horrocks was just 54-years-old when she died (Image: GMP)

"There were no witnesses, but it is the prosecution case that she must have gone through a door and fallen down. 

"The cellar in this pub, like in many pubs, is used for storage. It is normal for people who work at the pub to go down and retrieve stock.

"It is located on the corridor from the main area to the back of the pub, where the toilets and beer gardens are." 

The door was in a small alcove, which opened directly onto the steps. 

Mr Hilton said it was "situated in a public part where you would expect people to come and go regularly". 

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He added: "The cellar door is generally locked and and kept shut with a Yale lock." 

Mr Hilton said: "The prosecution case is the access onto it and out of it posed a risk to employees and customers alike and should have been managed, and it is a failure of risk assessment. 

"It was an unsafe feature at the Rosehill Tavern until the accident, after which proper steps were taken to address it." 

Joseph Holt Ltd, of Empire Street, Cheetham Hill, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, one of putting the public at risk and one of putting its staff at risk. 

Victim personal statements from Ms Horrocks' family were read out in court. 

The Rosehill Tavern, Leigh Road, Westhoughton (Image: Google Maps)

Her husband, Peter, told how the pair met in 2000 and were married in 2003, and loved "planning and talking about holidays".

He said Elaine loved gardening, painting, decorating and seeing friends. 

He said how the death was "preventable" and how it had a "severe effect" on himself and the children. 

Ms Horrocks' sister, Venita Fairhurst, also gave a victim personal statement, saying how "losing a sister is never something you would expect in that manner". 

She added that she is "depressed, having never previously suffered from depression before" since the passing of Elaine. 

Her son, Kieran Harris, also said how his children "miss spending time with their grandmother" and that he can't go past the Rosehill Tavern because "it is still raw". 

Defending, Harry Vann highlighted how serious the pub company was taking this, with CEO Richard Kershaw present on the day and having attended all but one of the hearings. 

He said: "I would like to express the company's sincere apologies for this breach of their duty. 

"The company had not appreciated before January 2018 the door posed any risk of injury to customers or staff." 

He said the event sent "shockwaves" through Joseph Holt Ltd, with all 126 of Holt's pubs being visited for risk assessments. 

Mr Vann said: "All have been considered and reconfigured if necessary. Between six to eight, including this one, have been changed." 

After the incident, the door was brought to the front of the alcove, creating a "landing area" before the steps. 

Mr Vann added that the company had not had any proceedings such as these brought against them previously. 

Judge Nicholas Clarke KC ordered Joseph Holt Ltd to pay a £180k fine and £65k in legal costs.