Hitchin pub fined after boy's allergic reaction to sausage
The boy, called Ralph, was nine years old at the time and went for a birthday meal at the Rusty Gun in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, with his parents, Lauren and James, in August 2023.The court was told that Lauren asked the pub staff on two occasions whether the sausage chosen by her son contained wheat.Waiting staff checked with the chefs in the kitchen and told Lauren the recipe did not contain wheat.Ralph began to feel unwell after eating just a quarter of the sausage.
Back at home, parts of Ralph's body began to swell; he had red hives all over him and had difficulty breathing.He was given steroids and adrenaline at the local hospital before being transferred to Lister Hospital in Stevenage.
Lauren said: "It's every parent's worst nightmare watching their child struggle to breathe, and I was thinking the worst."I will always have a lasting memory of Ralph asking me if he was going to die that night."She said she called the Rusty Gun and asked whether they were sure the sausage contained no wheat."I was then told 'we made a mistake' and - can you believe it? - I was offered a free meal!"
Hertfordshire Trading Standards investigated the incident and charged the pub's owners, Innventure, with two offences under food safety legislation.Innventure pleaded guilty at St Albans Magistrates Court on 6 May and was ordered to pay a total of £26,802.76 in fines and costs.Ralph was awarded £1,000 in compensation.A spokesperson for Innventure said: "Those that let the company and this young man down in August 2023 have been dismissed or have resigned."We have undertaken a comprehensive review of the allergens processes and procedures operated by the business. New and improved systems are in place to ensure that this never happens again."We offer and have offered our sincerest apologies to the young man in question."Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said: "We would urge anyone working with food to take food allergies seriously so that all people can eat out safely."
Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Deloitte probed over Glencore audits after commodities giant is hit by bribery and corruption lawsuits
Deloitte is being investigated by the UK accounting watchdog over its audits of Glencore's finances. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) will probe the Big Four firm's work for the Swiss commodities giant over an eight-year period. It will look into whether Deloitte gave 'sufficient consideration to the risk of non-compliance with laws and regulations' when signing off accounts between 2013 and 2020. Glencore has been rocked by bribery and corruption lawsuits in the last few years. The FRC noted that the FTSE 100 commodities trader and miner and a UK subsidiary had been 'subject to investigations by government agencies into misconduct'. In total Glencore, which produces coal, copper, nickel, zinc and cobalt, has had to pay out over £1billion after legal action in Brazil, the UK, and US. Probe: Big Four accountancy firm Deloitte is being investigated by the Financial Reporting Council over its audits of Glencore's finances In 2022, it was fined £281million following an investigation by the UK's Serious Fraud Office. The SFO found Glencore paid nearly £21million in bribes to gain preferential access to oil in Africa. It flew cash to Africa and falsified documents. In 2022 Glencore admitted bribery and failure to prevent bribery after transactions in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Sudan. Six former executives have been charged with bribery. A trial is yet to begin. Regulators are probing Deloitte's work on four audits, including for bus operator Go-Ahead, fashion brand Joules, car seller Lookers and fintech Stenn. Deloitte UK said: 'We are committed to the highest standards of audit quality and will fully co-operate.' The FRC can impose fines and non-financial penalties if it finds wrongdoing. In 2019 Deloitte was fined £4.2million for its audit of outsourcing firm Serco, which had paid more than £20million to settle fraud and false accounting charges. This year PwC was hit with a £4.5million fine for 'serious failings' in its 2019 audit of Wyelands Bank. Big Four peer KPMG paid out £4.5million after 'serious failures' in its audit of Rolls-Royce's 2010 accounts. In January, the FRC probed KPMG's audit of Ladbrokes-owner Entain's 2022 accounts. The gambling giant paid a £615million settlement to resolve a probe into alleged bribery at its former Turkish online betting business.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Serious Fraud Office under fire after Hayes Libor conviction is quashed by the Supreme Court
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) faced intense criticism yesterday after the Supreme Court quashed the convictions of traders Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo for Libor rate rigging. Hayes and Palombo were jailed for manipulating the Libor benchmark rate to benefit their own trading positions. But yesterday Britain's highest court ruled that the judge in Hayes' case had misdirected the jury in a way that effectively removed from them the ability to consider his defence. 'That was an error,' it said. Palombo's conviction was unsafe for similar reasons. And it could pave the way for seven others convicted of similar offences to be cleared. For Hayes, who was convicted in 2015 and spent five-and-a-half years in jail – destroying his career and marriage – it completes a decade-long fight for justice. And the case raises serious questions about the SFO after setbacks in other major cases including prosecutions involving executives at Tesco, G4S and Serco. Tory MP David Davis, who backed the traders, said: 'This is a major scandal in which traders were made scapegoats for the sins of the financial crisis. 'Lives ruined, families torn apart, careers and reputations destroyed and of course for Tom and Carlo, loss of liberty. Their cases serve as yet another example of a justice system gone badly wrong.' Davis claimed the SFO was part of a 'scapegoating exercise' also including the banks and the City regulator. Karen Todner, Hayes' solicitor, said: 'The SFO failed spectacularly. The result destroyed people's lives who frankly did not deserve it.' Todner called for a public inquiry and said the right of bodies such as the SFO as well as the Post Office and the RSPCA to prosecute individuals should be removed. 'The dual role of the SFO as investigator and prosecutor creates a substantial conflict of interest which creates miscarriages of justice,' she added. 'It should be disbanded. I think they really failed as a team.' Hayes said: 'The behaviour of the SFO is shocking. The SFO is a conflicted organisation that's not fit for purpose. It's got a history of criminalising the non-criminal.'
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
Two held on suspicion of murder after death of dad-of-five
Two men have bee held as part of a murder investigation into the death of a father-of-five. The body of Paul Smith, 40, who was also known as Smigger, was found at a property on Thirlmere Road in Everton, Liverpool, on was described by his family as an "amazing father" with a "huge heart". Two men from Liverpool, one 43 and one 60, are in custody for questioning. A post mortem examination is to be carried out to establish the cause of Mr Smith's death, Merseyside Police said. 'Contagious smile' In a tribute, Mr Smith's family said his children "adored him", adding he was "a loving, supportive partner and a devoted son, always striving to provide for his family". They added: "Paul had a huge heart. He was the life and soul of the party, charming and warm to everyone he met."He will be mourned and missed by many, friends and family alike." 'Full of love' His family also described him as a "loving brother" adding he devoted his time and love to supporting his elder and younger siblings. "He was the glue that bonded his siblings together with his contagious smile and crazy personality. "He will be greatly missed and forever remembered for being the outgoing loving sibling and son he was."Det Ch Insp Steve Ball said: "We are determined to find out exactly what happened, and I would urge anyone with information to come forward at the earliest opportunity so prompt action can be taken."If you live locally and saw or heard anything suspicious, or have since heard talk of what happened, speak to us."He added: "What seems like a trivial detail could be absolutely vital." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
