Britannia Hotels Ltd, the operator of the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, will face a trial in 2027 after being charged with 20 health and safety offences following the death of 21-year-old Chloe Haynes, who was crushed by a falling wardrobe in 2022.
Incident Details
Chloe Haynes was found dead in her room at the Adelphi Hotel on Lime Street in 2022. She had traveled from Hafan y Mor Haven Holiday Park in Pwllheli, North Wales, where she worked, for a night out. She was sharing a room with a colleague who discovered her body and raised the alarm.
Her mother, Nicola Williams, told the Liverpool Echo: "There was some sort of engagement party. She had been drinking shots and so on and she was a bit drunk, so her friend has taken her back to the hotel to sleep it off and then he's gone back out. It seems she has got up out of the bed confused, not knowing where she is, and she's opened the door of the wardrobe, maybe thinking it is the toilet or the door to go back out of the room. It was a big, old, heavy wardrobe and it's fallen on her and crushed her windpipe."
Legal Proceedings
The case was listed before Liverpool Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on Monday, June 29, 2026. Britannia was not arraigned, but a three-week trial was scheduled for November 15, 2027. Judge Brian Cummings KC also fixed a further plea hearing for December 4, 2026.
Britannia Hotels Ltd faces charges under two limited companies in a prosecution brought by Liverpool City Council. The charges allege failures to secure windows and wardrobes in guest rooms, endangering employees, non-employees, Ms. Haynes, and three-year-old Valencia Verdin, who was injured by a falling cabinet at the hotel in August 2025.
Additional Victim
Valencia's mother, Danielle Kenny from Widnes, said her daughter opened a corner cabinet door, causing the furniture to fall and land on her. The child was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital with facial injuries. The charges range in date between January 2021 and August 2025.
A Britannia Hotels spokesman said in April: "We can confirm that Liverpool City Council has initiated legal proceedings in relation to the Adelphi Hotel and we are fully cooperating with the legal process. Our sympathies remain with the families and loved ones of those involved. As this matter is now before the courts, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time."
Impact on Family
Chloe's mother described her daughter as "petite and beautiful" and said she loved animals, especially her dog Archie. She added: "She was quiet, she was somebody who didn't speak unless it needed saying. But, in the last 12 months, she was coming out of her shell. She was gaining her confidence and she had a wide circle of friends."
