2 Tipp Barmen on Trial for Killing a Man with Alcohol

[screenexile]

Surprised there isn't a thread for this already, if there is I apologise and I'll take it down. Anyway what do we make of this??

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0504/breaking36.html

A British hotel guest downed up to 10 shots of spirits in one glass for a party trick before he died from acute alcohol poisoning in Co Tipperary, a court heard today.

Graham Parish was celebrating his 26th birthday when he slumped off his bar stool in the Hayes Hotel in Thurles on June 30th, 2008.

He was carried from the bar to a conference room where he was found, with vomit on his face, by a night porter at 6.15am the following morning.

Bar manager Gary Wright and barman Aidan Dalton have both denied the manslaughter of Mr Parish, from Calder Terrace in Lomeshaye, near Nelson, east Lancashire. The barmen, who are both from Kilfithmone, Borrisoleigh in Co Tipperary, each pleaded not guilty before a jury was sworn in.

The case is the first of its kind under liquor liability laws in Ireland.

Paddy McCarthy SC, for the State told a jury at Nenagh Circuit Court the pair were accused of gross negligence that caused the death of Mr Parish. "The final drink served by the barman and okayed by the manager was eight to 10 spirits in a pint glass," he said.

Mr McCarthy said Mr Parish died from acute alcohol poisoning.

The barrister said Mr Parish - who was working in the area with colleagues - had been drinking Guinness for more than three hours before one vodka shot was put in his pint which he drank in one go. Two vodka shots were put in another pint he drank, he added.

"Some competition went on and he (Mr Parish) said he could down 10 spirits in a pint glass before his colleagues could down their pint," Mr McCarthy said. "The barman filled it up, asked the manager and the manager gave the ok for the purpose of serving it. He downed the drink in one go."

Mr Parish, a father of two, was employed by Reliant Installations Ltd in Skipton, North Yorkshire. He had arrived in Thurles on the afternoon of June 30th, 2008 for a job at Dew Valley Foods Ltd in Thurles.

PA

[Eamonnca1]

I think the main person responsible for this has already paid the ultimate price. I'm all in favour of discouraging excess alcohol consumption but I'm a bit queasy about this decision.  Rules are rules though, so if the law says that barmen can be held responsible then barmen across the country had better watch out. I've never worked in a pub but if I did I'd be sh|tting myself at the sight of this story. What if you're serving dozens of customers and maybe you and two other barmen serve the same fella who ends up having one too many?  How do you track who has drank what? How do you know if someone's buying a round of shots for his group or if he's going to do something stupid and drain them all at once? Difficult one.

[Puckoon]

Surprised there isn't a thread for this already, if there is I apologise and I'll take it down. Anyway what do we make of this??

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0504/breaking36.html

A British hotel guest downed up to 10 shots of spirits in one glass for a party trick before he died from acute alcohol poisoning in Co Tipperary, a court heard today.

Graham Parish was celebrating his 26th birthday when he slumped off his bar stool in the Hayes Hotel in Thurles on June 30th, 2008.

He was carried from the bar to a conference room where he was found, with vomit on his face, by a night porter at 6.15am the following morning.

Bar manager Gary Wright and barman Aidan Dalton have both denied the manslaughter of Mr Parish, from Calder Terrace in Lomeshaye, near Nelson, east Lancashire. The barmen, who are both from Kilfithmone, Borrisoleigh in Co Tipperary, each pleaded not guilty before a jury was sworn in.

The case is the first of its kind under liquor liability laws in Ireland.

Paddy McCarthy SC, for the State told a jury at Nenagh Circuit Court the pair were accused of gross negligence that caused the death of Mr Parish. "The final drink served by the barman and okayed by the manager was eight to 10 spirits in a pint glass," he said.

Mr McCarthy said Mr Parish died from acute alcohol poisoning.

The barrister said Mr Parish - who was working in the area with colleagues - had been drinking Guinness for more than three hours before one vodka shot was put in his pint which he drank in one go. Two vodka shots were put in another pint he drank, he added.

"Some competition went on and he (Mr Parish) said he could down 10 spirits in a pint glass before his colleagues could down their pint," Mr McCarthy said. "The barman filled it up, asked the manager and the manager gave the ok for the purpose of serving it. He downed the drink in one go."

Mr Parish, a father of two, was employed by Reliant Installations Ltd in Skipton, North Yorkshire. He had arrived in Thurles on the afternoon of June 30th, 2008 for a job at Dew Valley Foods Ltd in Thurles.

PA

Very sad story - but obviously a very irresponsible man - and very irresponsible bar tending also.

[AZOffaly]

I think the main person responsible for this has already paid the ultimate price. I'm all in favour of discouraging excess alcohol consumption but I'm a bit queasy about this decision.  Rules are rules though, so if the law says that barmen can be held responsible then barmen across the country had better watch out. I've never worked in a pub but if I did I'd be sh|tting myself at the sight of this story. What if you're serving dozens of customers and maybe you and two other barmen serve the same fella who ends up having one too many?  How do you track who has drank what? How do you know if someone's buying a round of shots for his group or if he's going to do something stupid and drain them all at once? Difficult one.

That would be hard Eamonn, but I think that would be a solid enough defense, especially if he wasn't stupid drunk.

However, 10 shots in a pint glass? That's a bit over the top.

[screenexile]

I would nearly guarantee these lads had no training in with regard to this and that they would not have even known the liquor licensing laws . . . I have worked in bars/nightclubs and this was never spelled out to me. I learned about it in a drunken discussion one night.

I can recall the story of a man in the nightclub I worked in who drank 11 aftershock in a pintglass . . . this scenario could easily have happened throughout here and across the water numerous times!!

[Rav67]

Being an English fella just over in Ireland he might not have know meaures here are 35ml instead of 25ml, in which case he was drinking 40% more alcohol than he realised.

[Tony Baloney]

Did the barman put the 10 shots into the pint glass from the optoc or did the fella buy ten shots and heel them into a pint glass?

Very few bars I've been into (especially in rural areas) would give a shit about the licensing laws with regard to safety of the public due to excess alacohol. If you've got the money they generally keep on serving.

[pintsofguinness]

Don't see how barmen are responsible.  If someone doesn't know his limits how are they suppose to know.

[sammymaguire]

Can't see this one ending with the lads getting prosecuted, it would open a can of worms for every time someone gets in to any kind of harm after them getting themselves blind drunk in a bar...

[deiseach]

Can't see this one ending with the lads getting prosecuted, it would open a can of worms for every time someone gets in to any kind of harm after them getting themselves blind drunk in a bar...

You're probably right. The defence will present it as how it could be your son behind the bar etc. Still, I think this is a necessary law. Licences carry responsibilities beyond not serving those who are underage and closing on time

[Puckoon]

Can't see this one ending with the lads getting prosecuted, it would open a can of worms for every time someone gets in to any kind of harm after them getting themselves blind drunk in a bar...

You're probably right. The defence will present it as how it could be your son behind the bar etc. Still, I think this is a necessary law. Licences carry responsibilities beyond not serving those who are underage and closing on time

Which they can't even get right half the time!

There is no culpability with the servers- but they shoulder a degree of responsibility in my eyes. That is - they showed none.

[Minder]

I know of a barmaid in my local at home walking to the other side the bar and physically taking the money out of a punters pocket because he was too hammered to know what day it was.

[deiseach]

Which they can't even get right half the time!

There is no culpability with the servers- but they shoulder a degree of responsibility in my eyes. That is - they showed none.

Indeed. You often hear publicans bleating about the public service they provide, how they never let fellas drink too much in contrast to the evil off-licences. At the very least this case shows what a load of chunder that is

[the colonel]

I know of a barmaid in my local at home walking to the other side the bar and physically taking the money out of a punters pocket because he was too hammered to know what day it was.

Which side of the street? This must have been an early morning session?

[Minder]

I know of a barmaid in my local at home walking to the other side the bar and physically taking the money out of a punters pocket because he was too hammered to know what day it was.

Which side of the street? This must have been an early morning session?

Left hand side of the street coming from your direction , she isn't currently involved in the bar trade as far as I know.