Anthony Wiazcek prosecuted for serving alcohol to teenager who later died in crash

Hector Eccles had been drinking at the Roggerham Gate in Worsthorne on March 30th, 2024, before leaving the premises on his Polaris farm bike. Moments later, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed, suffering fatal injuries. His passenger and friend was not seriously hurt.

The man who served Hector was later convicted of selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18.

Anthony Wiazcek (65) of Todmorden Road, Burnley, was the premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor at the time, and the only person behind the bar that evening.

The court heard Wiazcek had known Hector since he was a baby and had previously taken him to football matches, fully aware that he was underage.

Following a two-day trial at Burnley Magistrates’ Court, Wiazcek was fined £660. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and £650 in prosecution costs. His personal alcohol licence was suspended for three months.

In a victim personal statement, Hector’s heartbroken mother, Wendy Eccles, described the devastating impact of her son’s death.

She said: “My life has been destroyed beyond repair. The day Hector died I died with him. We don’t live our lives now, we just exist.

“I am just a hollow shell wanting my old life back every minute of every day. I feel panic like you can’t imagine knowing he’s not coming home.”

She described the ongoing trauma experienced by the family, adding that grief and panic attacks have become part of daily life.

“People say how do you carry on and the answer is you don’t. I am just a hollow shell wanting my old life back every minute of every day. I have gone from loving my life to just watching the clock waiting for the day to be over.

“When I go into Hector’s bedroom, I feel every bit of grief flowing through my body. I feel panic like you can’t imagine, knowing that he’s not coming home.

“I know the smell of Hector in his room is fading every week, and I know one day that smell will no longer be there. I have panic attacks worrying if he’s scared. Does he know that he’s died? Is it dark? Is he scared of the dark like most children are?

“Every morning I wake up and feel like I have been hit by a train. I cry numerous times a day, every day since that terrible morning when our lives were destroyed forever.

“I don’t like going out of the house or seeing people. I just walk looking at the floor, hoping people won’t stop me or look at me with pity or want to hug me. It doesn’t matter what you are doing or where you are, it’s a constant panic and wave of grief that comes over you that is uncontrollable.

“We don’t sleep at night, maybe an hour, then you wake up in panic. Hector’s dad has never slept more than an hour since that terrible morning. He didn’t come to bed for twelve months, just stayed in the chair, which resulted in him having slipped discs in his back and losing two stone in weight, which required medical attention.

“How do you carry on when your whole world has been taken from you in one night due to a lack of duty of care? And knowing that this could have been avoided if duty of care had been practised that night.

“Hector never got the chance to take his GCSEs or attend his school prom. We are having to live through the milestones, watching his friends grow and achieve things, forever thinking what would Hector be doing now.

“How do I get through Christmas and birthdays? I can tell you I don’t. There are certain things you can never imagine doing again, like playing music in the house, which Hector and I did every single morning before I took him to the school bus. Waiting for him to come home from school, as his first words were always, ‘Mum, you will never guess what.’ Hector always had a great story from school or the bus.

“I can never go out of the house when children are going to and from school, as I just break down thinking that should be my boy. Hector was a happy schoolboy, loving life.

“How can we carry on building a business like we have for years for Hector, when farming was all he wanted to do and was extremely passionate about it? How do we carry on seeing other boys doing Hector’s job? My heart has been smashed and will never be repaired.”

Licensing Sergeant for Burnley, Rossendale, Pendle and Ribble Valley, Steve Dundon, said he welcomed the outcome of the trial.

“Whilst nothing will bring back Hector, this incident highlights why the sale of alcohol is strictly controlled and the consequences of irresponsible sales,” he said.

“We will continue to work proactively with licensed premises to ensure compliance, and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where those responsibilities are ignored.”