Excess alcohol consumption can be dangerous. But defining “excess” may vary. A French bartender, for instance, was just convicted of manslaughter after having served 56 consecutive shots of alcohol to a customer who later died of alcohol poisoning.
The four-month, suspended sentence for manslaughter was handed to Gilles Crepin yesterday for having failed to refuse to serve alcohol to his inebriated customer.
This over-zealous stunt was performed at Le Starter bar in Clermont-Ferrand, where the previous shot drinking record of 55 shots had been publicly posted on a board.
The 260-pound man wanted to break the bar’s shot-drinking record. Renaud Proudhomme had come to the establishment together with his daughter and friends, who wanted to witness the man’s attempt.
Soon after the drinking competition ended, Proudhomme was helped home. Later that same night, emergency services were summoned to Proudhomme’s residence. The man was driven to the hospital. He died the following day as a result of “a bronchial inhalation alcoholic coma.”
What the bartender wasn’t aware of was that Proudhomme had been suffering from respiratory problems.
He admitted to having erred in publicly displaying the shots record but defended his position by saying that bartenders don’t usually check their customer’s medical records to ensure their safety.
During the trial, Proudhomme’s daughter’s legal representative insisted that Crepin encouraged Mr. Proudhomme’s dangerous behaviour by continuing to pour shot after shot. He added that the bartender should have been aware of the law and of the consequences of his actions.
“We want to remind some professionals that it is illegal to serve alcohol to clients that are in an advanced state of inebriation,” the attorney said.
On the other hand, Crepin’s representation expressed his client’s intentions to appeal the judge’s decision, which he deemed an “unconscious desire to set an example.” Among his arguments was the fact that the victim’s daughter had been present throughout the drinking competition and had even encouraged her father’s drinking.
These allegations were denied by Proudhomme’s attorney, who insisted that the woman had not been present during the time of the competition.
Image Source: lordsofthedrinks.com
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