A man died after being allegedly “dumped” outside a bar in Liverpool as staff “carried on as normal” – leaving him behind a parked car to die alone, a hearing has been told.
The tragedy unfurled at La Finca Eivissa on Colquitt Street when the man entered with a female companion and was found lifeless hours later, having taken drugs at the Ibiza-themed spot. Testimonies during a hearing conveyed that employees miserably neglected to summon medical help or administer aid as he lay dying.
Despite the severity of the case presented in the Cunard Building today, the establishment faced no punitive actions. Sgt Craig Carmichael poignantly referred to the ordeal as “one night that changed the life of family and friends” forever.
The lounge is managed by Tapas Centro Ltd under Stephen Thompson, who has overseen the premises since 2021 but was not present during the fateful evening. A Liverpool Council licensing and gambling sub-committee hearing learnt that the victim, considered reasonably healthy with no significant health woes before the incident, was declared deceased at the hospital.
Sgt Carmichael detailed that on September 1, just after midnight, a man entered a bustling bar with a female companion. Shortly before 12.30am, the man bought two bags of cocaine worth £50 from another male and exited the venue to finalise the transaction, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He was later spotted with his friend consuming drugs off a table, while CCTV footage captured other instances throughout the evening where a substance was being used off the back of his hand. At 2.10am, the man is seen ingesting a substance from the back of his hand before turning grey and collapsing behind a table.
His female friend reportedly began calling for help, under the impression he had been punched. Sgt Carmichael stated that three minutes later, door staff lifted the man and carried him from the bar area, only to “dump him on the ground behind a parked car some distance away from the venue.”
The officer noted that the staff then resumed their duties as usual, with no checks made regarding the man’s vital signs, nor was he placed in the recovery position. The man was reportedly left flat on his back and likely suffered a cardiac arrest. An ambulance was summoned by his female friend while she and bystanders attempted to resuscitate him until paramedics arrived, who then notified the police.
Sgt Carmichael said management, including a 25-year-old assistant general manager who was outside managing a queue, should have “taken control” and administered first aid. An ambulance was summoned at 2.19am, a critical six minutes after the man had been dragged outside. Tragically, he was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Sgt Carmichael suggested that while it wasn’t certain the man would have survived, “doing nothing is a serious neglect.” He pointed out that if the staff had immediately called for help, police with first aid training might have reached the scene faster. Sgt Carmichael remarked: “Instead, while he was lying in the street, staff continued with their normal night.”
Interviews with the door staff revealed that two were trained in first aid. One recounted trying to offer water to the man but found him “too bad a state” to accept it. This door guard admitted that they had removed the man from the premises as they would typically handle someone they presumed was intoxicated, and then he returned to his duties.
Another door staff member confirmed the man was breathing when checked, but after placing him by a car, which then blocked his view, he lost sight of him. A third door staff member saw the man on the ground but assumed he was asleep, and continued working after the man was propped against the wall.
Sgt Carmichael revealed that the assistant general manager initially believed the man was “in a K hole” – under the influence of ketamine – but his view was obstructed by the queue he was managing. The scene was described as “chaos” by Sgt Carmichael, who stated that staff had “several opportunities” to intervene, but did “very little” and the assistant general manager merely “stands by and watches.”
A crime scene investigation discovered nine small bags containing traces of white powder, likely cocaine, on the premises. Mr Thompson met with officers on September 10 and openly acknowledged the failings of that night. According to Sgt Carmichael, based on the CSI findings, La Finca Eivissa “has a problem with drugs” and there had been “drug taking in the venue, dealing, in full view” which Mr Thompson denied, stating: “We haven’t got a drugs problem, no more than any other venue in the city centre.”
The officer informed councillors that the most senior manager on duty that night was not made aware of the incident until “well after” it occurred, adding: “The lack of action taken for the gentleman took away his best chance of survival.”
All three security guards had their licences revoked and Mr Thompson confirmed he had dismissed the company that provided the staff due to previous issues, claiming they had sent “new and inexperienced” workers who spoke “little or no English.”
The director expressed his disappointment in the security firm’s staff for attracting the “wrong crowd” due to other city centre venues closing. Mr Thompson admitted that on the night of the incident, the staff “could and should have done more” and conceded that the situation was managed “atrociously.” He shared his feelings of being “incensed and disgusted” by the events and recognised that customer care procedures were not adequately followed.
Despite efforts to prevent it, Mr Thompson acknowledged that the bar “can’t completely stop drugs” from being smuggled in but has since initiated comprehensive management retraining. He also mentioned that the assistant general manager had made a poor judgement call during the incident and confirmed that the drug dealer involved had been banned from the premises.
Mr Thompson is prepared to implement additional safety measures. Karl Bruder, the licensing agent representing Mr Thompson, conveyed how the 25 year old manager was “absolutely, truly devastated” by the ordeal and was “beside himself at what he failed to do.”
Committee chair, Cllr Christine Banks, pointed out: “The buck stops with the assistant general manager, he has to take responsibility. He should have done his job and he didn’t.”
Addressing the concerns about the security company, Mr Thompson admitted that he had “given the benefit of the doubt” to staff over several previous months but in hindsight, should have acted sooner. He expressed his “sincere condolences to the deceased” and stated that he and his 20-strong team were “learning better ways to operate all the time.” He added: “The last seven weeks have been horrendous and we can see areas that would have been used better.”
Mr Thompson emphasised how the young manager on shift was “distraught” and the “sleepless nights” caused by the incident were punishment enough in his view.
Confirming that the business would retain its premises licence, Cllr Banks said the hearing had been held under “very tragic circumstances” and there was “no excuse” for the man to be left outside. She also noted that there was no justification for emergency services not being called by staff.
Cllr Banks stated that the panel had accepted the argument that door staff were incompetent and had acted in a way that undermined the licensing objectives, but ultimately the responsibility lay with Mr Thompson as the designated premises supervisor. Despite this, she said it was “not appropriate” to revoke the licence or take any other steps.
She expressed the panel’s hope that the business “genuinely understands how serious this is and processes will be diligently followed.” Addressing Mr Thompson directly, she said: “You’re very lucky” and the panel were “not happy with what we’ve seen.” She concluded: “This should never happen again.”
