Bar charged over liquid nitrogen cocktail

The director of a wine bar and a member of staff have been charged after a teenager had to have her stomach removed having drunk a freezing liquid nitrogen cocktail.

Gaby Scanlon

Gaby Scanlon, from Heysham in Lancashire, had been celebrating her 18 birthday at Oscar’s Wine Bar in Lancaster in 2012 when she was served two shots of Jägermeister laced with liquid nitrogen.

The 18-year-old fell ill and was rushed to hospital in extreme pain where a CT scan revealed a large perforation to her stomach, prompting doctors to mount an emergency four-hour operation to remove her stomach and connect her oesophagus to her small bowel, as reported by the Daily Mail. 

The liquid nitrogen had burned a hole in her stomach and completely destroyed the stomach lining. At the time, the incident prompted MPs to call for a ban on liquid nitrogen cocktails.

Lancaster City Council has since launched legal action against bar with its director and one member of staff facing charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

In a statement the council said: “Andrew Dunn, of The Garden Village in Old Earswick, Yorkshire, has been summoned to court to answer charges under sections 3(1), 33(1)(a) and 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 in relation to his role as a director of Oscar’s Wine Bar.

“Matthew George Harding, of George Street in Lancaster, has also been summoned to court to answer charges under and breaches of sections 7 and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 in relation to his role as an employee of Oscar’s Wine Bar.

“The company, Oscar’s Wine Bar Ltd, registered address of 39-42 Bridge Street, Swinton, South Yorkshire, has been summoned to court to answer charges under sections 3(1), and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974.”

The first hearing is due to take place at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on February 9.