Woman, 21, ‘crushed by wardrobe’ at Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel as prices introduced
Chloe Haynes, 21, was found dead at the Adelphi Hotel on Liverpool’s Lime Street in 2022, after a wardrobe toppled onto her, prompting a health and safety investigation
Chloe Haynes, 21, who died at the Adelphi Hotel
A 21-year-old woman died when a wardrobe fell onto her after a night out, a court has been told. Chloe Haynes was found in the early hours of September 10, 2022, at the at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool’s Lime Street, triggering a significant investigation by Liverpool City Council’s environmental health team.
The owners of Britannia Hotels Ltd, which runs the Adelphi, appeared in court on Thursday (May 7) facing 20 health and safety charges brought under the names of two associated companies.
During a brief hearing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, Keith Morton KC, representing Britannia, confirmed the company would not be entering a plea at this stage. The case was forwarded to Liverpool Crown Court, where a plea and trial preparation hearing is set for June 4.
“There are a number of charges contrary to the Health and Safety Act 1984. Because a plea has not been indicated, I have to consider whether a trial can take place in the magistrates’ court or whether it should be sent to the crown court for a trial to take place,” stated District Judge Paul Healey, adjourning the case.
“I should consider the nature of the allegation and the likely sentence if a conviction were to follow. I have to consider the complexity, the background and the nature of the evidence. In the event of a not guilty plea, the trial should take place before a judge and jury at the crown court.”
“I am going to send all of the charges to Liverpool Crown Court to be tried and confirm a plea and trial preparation hearing in 28 days’ time. On that date, it is expected that a plea will be entered to the respective charges.”
Chloe was discovered dead in her room at the Adelphi Hotel during the early hours of September 10 2022, leading to three men being arrested on suspicion of murder. However, they were eventually released without charge after her death was ruled to be accidental.
She had journeyed to Liverpool from Hafan y Mor Haven Holiday Park in Pwllheli, North Wales, where she was employed, for an evening out and was sharing a room at the city centre hotel with a colleague who found her body and alerted authorities.
“There was some sort of engagement party,” her mum Nicola Williams told the ECHO, adding, “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.”
The mum went on, explaining how Chloe’s friend had subsequently returned to the room to be faced with the scene, after which he called for help from two men in other rooms.
They then assisted in lifting the wardrobe but were unable to save her life. One of the men, Wayne Kenny, from Bootle, claimed that he was stunned to be arrested on suspicion of murder after attempting to perform CPR on Chloe, telling 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.”
Chloe’s mum added: “She loved animals. She had a little dog called Archie she was obsessed with.
“My little nickname for her was birdy. She was so petite and little, and when she ate she was like a little bird. 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. She was kind and caring and she seemed to connect with gay men, and that was how she met the friend she went to Liverpool with.”
Enquiries conducted by the local authority’s environmental health department have been continuing since, ultimately resulting in the latest court appearance.
“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,”
A Britannia Hotels spokesman said. “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.”
