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| Hugo Boss fined £1.2m over Bicester Village mirror death | Hugo Boss fined £1.2m over Bicester Village mirror death |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Designer clothing company Hugo Boss has been fined £1.2m over the death of a young boy crushed by a mirror at its Bicester Village store. | Designer clothing company Hugo Boss has been fined £1.2m over the death of a young boy crushed by a mirror at its Bicester Village store. |
| Austen Harrison, four, suffered fatal head injuries at the Oxfordshire outlet store in June 2013. | Austen Harrison, four, suffered fatal head injuries at the Oxfordshire outlet store in June 2013. |
| Oxford Crown Court heard the 19 stone 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", when it toppled on to him while his father tried on a suit. | Austen, from Crawley, West Sussex, had been playing with the steel-framed fitting-room mirror, described as being balanced upright like a "domino piece", when it 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 after his life-support was switched off. | The youngster had emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain but died four days later 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". | 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. | 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." | "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. | 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. |
| He added he was sure the health and safety breach went "to the very top of the company". | He added he was sure the health and safety breach went "to the very top of the company". |
| He said the haste in revamping the Bicester Village pop-up store to replace a Burberry shop led to a "lack of planning, a lack of proper specification", while instructions for the mirror which arrived there in September 2012, were "ill-defined and not followed through". | |
| "Was there a systematic failure? In my view there was," he added. | |
| A statement released by Austen's mother, now Irina Glaser after she and Austen's father Simon Harrison divorced, said her son's "greatest pleasure in life was to help others". | A statement released by Austen's mother, now Irina Glaser after she and Austen's father Simon Harrison divorced, said her son's "greatest pleasure in life was to help others". |
| She added: "In his memory I invite you to help someone, no matter how small or large the deed, to assist Austen in creating a friendlier world. | She added: "In his memory I invite you to help someone, no matter how small or large the deed, to assist Austen in creating a friendlier world. |
| "My love extends to each one of you for doing this." | "My love extends to each one of you for doing this." |
| Hugo Boss is one of more than 130 stores at the Bicester Village designer shopping outlet. | Hugo Boss is one of more than 130 stores at the Bicester Village designer shopping outlet. |
| A spokeswoman for Bicester Village declined to comment. | A spokeswoman for Bicester Village declined to comment. |
| Councillor Tony Ilott of Cherwell District Council, which mounted the prosecution, described the death as "an incredibly tragic situation". | Councillor Tony Ilott of Cherwell District Council, which mounted the prosecution, described the death as "an incredibly tragic situation". |
| He said: "All companies have a legal responsibility to staff and customers to ensure every relevant health and safety requirement is met to the necessary standards. It is not optional, nor is it negotiable. | He said: "All companies have a legal responsibility to staff and customers to ensure every relevant health and safety requirement is met to the necessary standards. It is not optional, nor is it negotiable. |
| "Hugo Boss UK Limited failed in that responsibility and that has been recognised in today's sentencing. However, no price can ever be put on a life and our thoughts remain wholly with Austen's family." | "Hugo Boss UK Limited failed in that responsibility and that has been recognised in today's sentencing. However, no price can ever be put on a life and our thoughts remain wholly with Austen's family." |