Mum 'a hollow shell' after son's quad bike death'

The mum of a 16-year-old boy killed in a quad bike crash after he was served five pints of lager by a pub landlord who knew he was underage has said her life has been "destroyed beyond repair".

Hector Eccles was served the drinks at the Roggerham Gate Inn in Worsthorne, Burnley, on 30 March 2024 shortly before setting off on his Polaris farm bike.

Anthony Wiazcek was fined £660 and had his premises licence suspended for three months by Burnley magistrates after being convicted of selling alcohol to underage drinkers following a two-day trial last month.

Wendy Eccles said: "The day Hector died, I died with him. We don't live our lives now - we just exist."

Hector lost control and crashed his quad bike shortly after leaving the Roggerham Gate Inn, said Lancashire Police.

His friend and passenger was not seriously hurt in the crash.

In a victim personal statement, Wendy Eccles said: "My life has been destroyed beyond repair.

"The day Hector died, I died with him.

"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?"

Wendy Eccles said: "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, seeing people. I just walk looking at the floor hoping people won't stop me. Look at me with pity. Wanting 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 12 months - just stayed in the chair which resulted in him having slipped disks in his back and [losing] two stone in weight... and medical attention being needed."

Hector's grieving mother asked: "How do you carry on when your whole world has been taken from you in one night due to lack of duty of care? And you know that this could have been avoided if duty of care was practised that night.

"Hector never got the chance to take his GCSEs, never attending 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? Well, I can tell you I don't. 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 for the school bus.

"Waiting for him to come home from school as his first words were 'Mum, you will never guess what..?'

"Hector always had a great story from school or on the bus. I can never go out of the house when children are going to school and coming home 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 up a business like we have for years for Hector? As farming was all Hector wanted to do and was extremely passionate about it.

How do we carry on seeing other boys doing Hector's job?

"My heart had been smashed and will never be repaired."

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