Birmingham club Oceana fined £85,000 after customer died in car park
A Birmingham nightclub has been fined £85,000 after a customer died when he was “imprisoned” in its car park.
The disgusted parents of 21-year-old Christopher Clarke have dismissed the fine imposed on Oceana, in Hurst Street, as being “peanuts” and said the club should have been closed down.
Birmingham Crown Court heard Christopher died when he fell climbing a wall to get out of a car park in which he found himself trapped in the early hours after being booted out of the club for taking his glass drinks bottle on to the dance floor. The club pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law.
Speaking after the sentence, Mr Clarke said yesterday: “It was peanuts but words are inadequate. You cannot put a price on a life.”
He said he and his wife still could not believe the way the club treated their son that night. “Words fail me. If I had my way the club should be closed down, it was totally irresponsible and it’s us who have been left with a life sentence, not them.”
Christopher was their only son and was adopted and much loved, they said. “He was a great kid, as every parent would say about their son or daughter,” he said. “He had gone out for a drink and had a few too many, but we all do but don’t expect to be put out in circumstances like that. He was caged in that place in the freezing cold and we will never forget that.”
The club’s owners, Luminar Oceana Ltd, said the company had learned from the tragedy. A spokesman said a review had taken place and the doorman and club manager no longer worked at the club. The fire exit doors were no longer used to eject customers, two members of security staff were now required to escort someone off the premises and, “in the unlikely event” of the car park being used as an exit route, the gate could now be opened manually by a clearly-signed key fob system.
