“Only 12 to go...” Bar owner on trial for manslaughter after customer drinks 56 shots of spirits and dies

“Only 12 to go...” A bar owner is on trial for manslaughter after he allegedly urged a customer to drink 56 shots of spirits who later had a heart attack and died.

Empty and full shot glasses ready to be consumed. Denmark 2011. (Photo by: PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images)

A FRENCH bar owner is on trial for manslaughter one of his customers had a heart attack and died after drinking 56 shots of spirits.

The man, a 56-year-old only known as Renaud, was attempting to beat the store record of 55 shots when he visited the Le Starter bar in Clermont-Ferrand, in central France in October 2014.

Renaud drank 44 shots, and according to his 22-year-old daughter who was with him, he was then encouraged to keep going by the landlord of the bar, who whispered there was “only 12 to go”, the Independent reported.

He drank the remaining shots — consuming just over a litre of spirits — and had a cardiac arrest after being carried back to his home. He was rushed to hospital, but died the next day.

The court case will see if he bears any responsibility for Renaud’s death, after Renaud’s daughter Julie decided to bring the case forward.

Previously, the record was written on a blackboard behind the bar of Le Starter.

A Facebook page calling for the closure of Le Starter, which was set up shortly after Renaud’s death, posted a picture apparently taken in the bar, which has Renaud’s record written on it, with the date that he consumed the fatal amount of alcohol written above.

The sign at the bar which announces Renaud’s record 56 shots.

Julie told a French newspaper she hoped the case would “open people’s eyes” to the dangers of binge drinking.

“I really feel that in the end the boss bears a real responsibility in all this... I hope we will know the truth, and that this drama will open more people’s eyes to the dangers of alcohol.”

Her lawyer, Antoine Portal, told BFM TV: “The owner served the father of my client when he was not in a fit state to understand what he was doing.”

“It is not known whether he would still be alive if he had not drunk the last 12 shots, but by downing those last shots, he was left with no chance.”

However, the bar owner’s lawyer, Renaud Portejoie, said: “No one forced the client to take on the challenge.”

Speaking to a local French radio network, Mr Portejoie said: “When you are the owner of a bar and an order has been placed, you cannot always check who is drinking what. We cannot stand behind every customer.”

“The customers are responsible for themselves as are their families and friends.”

Originally published as “Only 12 to go...” Bar owner on trial for manslaughter after customer drinks 56 shots of spirits and dies