This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-34153922
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Hugo Boss fined £1.2m over boy's mirror death | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Designer clothes company Hugo Boss has been fined £1.2m over the death of a young boy who was crushed by a free-standing mirror at one of its stores. | |
Austen Harrison, four, suffered fatal head injuries at the outlet store in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in June 2013. | Austen Harrison, four, suffered fatal head injuries at the outlet store in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in June 2013. |
Oxford Crown Court heard the 120kg mirror had "negligently been left free-standing without any fixings". | |
The company had previously admitted breaching health and safety at work regulations. | The company had previously admitted breaching health and safety at work regulations. |
Austen, from Crawley, West Sussex, had been playing with the steel-framed fitting-room mirror, described as being balanced upright like a "domino piece", which toppled on to him while his father tried on a suit. | |
The youngster had emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain but died four days later in hospital after his life-support was switched off. | |
In a statement, Hugo Boss UK said the accident had "shocked and saddened" the entire company, and acknowledged "Austen's death was wholly avoidable". | |
It added: "There are no words the company can use to alleviate in any way the enormous suffering caused to Austen's parents in particular. We offer our most sincere regret and apology." | It added: "There are no words the company can use to alleviate in any way the enormous suffering caused to Austen's parents in particular. We offer our most sincere regret and apology." |
Judge Peter Ross said "it would have been obvious to the untrained eye" that the mirror posed a risk, adding it was "nothing short of a miracle" it had not fallen before. |