Wedding venue fined £20k over Bob Kemp's trip death
A wedding venue in the Vale of Glamorgan has been fined £20,000 after a guest tripped, broke his neck and died because its patio lights were not working.
Grandfather Bob Kemp, 62, from Barry, stumbled over a low wall in the darkness at Sully Sports and Leisure Club in June 2012.
Newport Crown Court heard he fell just 4ft (1.2m) onto the grass below.
He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, but never recovered.
Judge Ian Murphy QC said: "Mr Kemp was in perfectly good health, he was a healthy and happy man when he came out of that club.
"But he had been exposed to an unnatural risk to health."
The court heard, on the evening of the tragedy, the lights placed above the wall had not been working properly.
Alex Greenwood, prosecuting, said: "The club paid only lip service to health and safety issues."
But Sully Sports and Leisure Club claimed they had a "common sense" approach and denied any wrong doing.
However, the jury found it guilty of breaking health and safety laws after failing to provide adequate lighting.
The court also heard Mr Kemp's partner of almost 30 years, Jenny Newland, died a few months later.