The son of a man who died after being scalded in a hotel bath has called for criminal prosecutions and changes to regulations. Keir Hunter, 51, spoke to the Sunday Mail after a fatal accident inquiry into the death of his father, Wallace Hunter, concluded last week.
The 75-year-old retired precision engineer from Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, was on a pre-Christmas break with his wife Janice at the Pitlochry Hydro on December 1, 2019. He suffered severe burns to 83 per cent of his body from a faulty tap that had not been maintained since it was installed in 1987. He became trapped in the bath, unable to turn off the scalding water.
The inquiry found that the faulty tap, an old door locking mechanism, and flawed health and safety advice on water temperature all contributed to his death. The hotel's maintenance staff had dismissed previous complaints about boiling water as 'user error'. Keir Hunter wants the owners of the company running the hotel, Specialist Leisure Group, and the health and safety firm Hygiene 2 Health to face corporate homicide charges.
Specialist Leisure went bust four months after the death; its former director Richard Calvert now heads Club Company. Keir Hunter said: 'The glacial process of the investigation has impacted the ability to hold anyone accountable. They should be facing corporate homicide charges.' He added that the family had been waiting six years for the inquiry to conclude.
The inquiry heard that Hygiene 2 Health director Lee McDowell advised keeping water temperature above 50C to prevent legionella, despite regulations stating scalding occurs at 44C. He also failed to mention that the tap's temperature control needed maintenance. Wallace's room was one of ten with outdated bathrooms that had not been upgraded. His son said: 'My parents weren't offered a choice between a safe room or a dangerous one.'
