Great-grandmother died after falling into pub cellar before surprise party

A great-grandmother who was preparing a pub function room for a surprise birthday party for her daughter fell to her death down cellar stairs due to health and safety failings by the landlords, a court has heard. Olwen Collier opened the wrong door in a "dimly" lit pub hallway and tumbled into the dark cellar suffering catastrophic brain injuries.

Ms Collier - well-know to generations of customers at the popular cafe she ran - was airlifted to hospital but had suffered catastrophic head injuries, and could not be saved. A judge described the arrangements at the pub as "a fatal accident waiting to happen" and told the couple running the pub the "adored" great-grandmother had died because they had not taken even the most basic care of their customers' safety.

Lee Reynolds, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that Ms Collier had gone to the Stag and Pheasant in Carmel near Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, with family members on January 12 last year to decorate a table ahead of a surprise 50th birthday party for her daughter Allison Raymond. He said landlord Philip Hawkins was behind the bar when the foursome arrived, and he directed them to the function room telling them to "go around the corner, bear right". The court heard the group, which was led by Ms Collier, entered a "dimly lit" hallway off the bar and found three doors - one was for staff access behind the bar, one led to the cellar, and the third was to the function room and toilets. The prosecutor said Ms Collier, who had not been to the pub before, pushed at what she believed was the function room door and stepped inside and fell down the stairs into the dark cellar. Her grandson, Emyr Raymond, grabbed hold of her coat as she disappeared into the darkness but could not stop her from falling.

READ MORE: Granddad killed by speeding and uninsured driver

READ MORE: Chef at well-known restaurants unmasked as crack cocaine dealer

The court heard Mr Raymond used his phone to light his way as he went after his grandmother and he found her laying at the bottom of the stairs. Help was summoned and 69-year-old Ms Collier - a well-known face in the Gorseinon area having run the town's popular Bizzie Lizzies Cafe for more than 30 years - was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The court hears she suffered a fractured skull and severe swelling of the brain and despite the best efforts of medics she could not be saved.

Speaking after the death of her mother Allison Raymond said: "I can't comprehend what's happened. I can't accept the fact she is not going to come home. Mammy was such an outgoing person. She was still running her own business, she ran Bizzie Lizzies Cafe in Gorseinon for 35 years with Sam Booth. She was fit and healthy and she would do lots of charity work. I just can't get my head around it. It's horrendous. We're still in disbelief. I feel quite sick that she died in that way. We are a close knit family and it's now like a huge piece is missing. A massive piece of the jigsaw is missing. She will always be remembered for her smile and laughter. She was my everything. I have lost my mum and my best friend. She was just someone you could always go to if you wanted help or to know anything."

Mr Reynolds said it was the prosecution case that the fact that the door to the cellar was not locked was the primary failing as far as health and safety matters were concerned, with other failings being the poor lighting in the hallway, the failure of Mr Hawkins to escort the group to the function room, and the "ambiguous and inadequate" signage on doors with the sign for the function room door indicating that the toilets were in that direction.

The court heard that an investigation into the circumstances of the fatality showed Mr Hawkins had been working alone in the pub on the day in question as his wife Tracy was ill in bed with gastroenteritis, and that minutes before the incident Mr Hawkins had been in the cellar taking down gas canisters. The court heard the only switch for the cellar light was not at the top of the stairs but behind the bar, and that the lock on the cellar door had a faulty mechanism which meant it could not be unlocked from the inside - during a visit to the cellar with inspectors Mr Hawkins had "gently" closed the door behind them so the lock did not engage and they could get back out. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

Philip Hawkins, aged 49, and 53-year-old Tracy Hawkins, both of Llandeilo Road, Carmel, Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, had previously pleaded guilty to failing to discharge a health and safety duty when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. Ian Ibrahim, for the defendants, said what happened on the day was an "absolute tragedy" which had left his clients "broken people". He said the Hawkins, both originally from the Bridgend area, had worked in a variety of jobs and for various employers over the years - including Balfour Beatty in the case of Philip Hawkins and Sony in the case of Tracy Hawkins - and they had ploughed their £40,000 life savings into taking on the lease of pub only some three or four months before the incident. He said references before the court showed the defendants to be honest and trustworthy and an asset to the community.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said the word "tragedy" was often overused but the case before the court fully merited that description. He said Ms Collier was a healthy and adored lady whose death in "terrible, terrible" circumstances had left her loved-ones "utterly bereft and inconsolable". He said everyone knew cellars could be lethal and pub landlords should especially know of their dangers, and he said the combination of the unlocked cellar door, the poor hallway lighting, and the door signage meant it was "a fatal accident waiting to happen". He said he accepted the defendants were inexperienced pub tenants but said it should have been "wholly impossible" for a member of the public to enter the cellar area, and he told the pair Ms Collier died because they did not take "even the most basic care" of the safety of their customers. The judge noted remorse on the part of the defendants but said there may well be an element of self pity to it.

Judge Thomas said he did not have the power to pass a sentence that would "remotely atone" for the family's loss, and said if he were in the family's position he was sure he would want a judge to "throw away the key" but he said had to pass a sentence in accordance legislation and sentencing and imposition guidelines. He said the offending clearly crossed the custody threshold but there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and the sentence could properly be suspended. With a one-third discount for their guilty pleas the defendants were each sentenced to 18 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months. Philip Hawkins was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community.

This interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area: