Britannia Hotels Ltd, the operator of the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, will face a trial in 2027 following the death of 21-year-old Chloe Haynes, who was crushed by a falling wardrobe in her hotel room in 2022. The company has been charged with 20 health and safety offences in a prosecution brought by Liverpool City Council.
Court Proceedings and Trial Date
At a plea and trial preparation hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, Britannia was not formally arraigned. However, Judge Brian Cummings KC scheduled a three-week trial to begin on November 15, 2027, and fixed a further plea hearing for December 4 this year.
Haynes, who worked at Hafan y Mor Haven Holiday Park in Pwllheli, North Wales, had traveled to Liverpool for a night out. She was sharing a room with a colleague, who discovered her body and raised the alarm.
Details of the Incident
According to her mother, Nicola Williams, Haynes had been drinking and was taken back to the hotel by her friend to sleep. Williams said: "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."
When the friend returned, he found the scene and called for help from two men in other rooms. They lifted the wardrobe but could not save her. One of the men, Wayne Kenny from Bootle, was arrested on suspicion of murder after performing CPR but was later released. He told the ECHO: "I was thinking, could I get accused for something I haven't done? Could they make a mistake? To be thinking that for 10 hours was hard work."
Charges and Other Incidents
The charges allege that Britannia endangered the safety of employees, non-employees, Haynes, and three-year-old Valencia Verdin, who was injured when a cabinet fell on her at the hotel in August 2024. The offences relate to failures to secure windows and furniture in guest rooms, spanning from January 2021 to August 2025.
Valencia's mother, Danielle Kenny from Widnes, said her daughter opened a corner cabinet door, causing it to fall on her. The child was treated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital for facial injuries.
Company Response
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."
