U.K.: Peanut curry death: Restaurant owner Mohammed Zaman jailed

[LiberalElite]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36360111

A "reckless" restaurant owner has been jailed for six years for the manslaughter of a customer who had an allergic reaction to a curry.

Paul Wilson, 38, suffered a severe anaphylactic shock in January 2014 after eating a takeaway containing peanuts from the Indian Garden in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

Mohammed Zaman, 52, was found guilty at Teesside Crown Court.

The court heard he cut corners by using cheaper ingredients containing peanuts,

I wonder how widespread this practice is - many years ago, I was walking past a Chinese restaurant where supplies were being off-loaded and brought down to the cellar. One of the items was a large bucket labeled "peanut butter" in English (and maybe also Chinese). I suspected then that the "sesame" in their sesame sauce was really peanuts.

[malaise]

1. Good

He deserved this

[LiberalElite]

2. Yup. nt

[msongs]

3. restaurants should put up signs: "food may contain allergins". let people w/allergies choose to eat

there or not.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. more from the article

He died three weeks after a different customer with a peanut allergy bought a meal from one of Mr Zaman's six restaurants and had a reaction requiring hospital treatment.
The restaurateur had a "reckless and cavalier attitude to risk" and "put profit before safety" at all his outlets, the jury was told.
Zaman was almost £300,000 in debt and cut costs by using the cheaper nut powder and by employing untrained, illegal workers, the court heard.
Sentencing him, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, said Zaman had remained "in complete and utter denial" and ignored warnings from officials after 17-year-old Ruby Scott suffered a reaction to a curry, three weeks before Mr Wilson's death.
He said he had thrown away his successful business and property portfolio worth £2m "in pursuit of profit".

[malaise]

9. There is a world famous ice-cream franchise in Jamaica

called I-Scream and there is a huge sign at all their stores stating that all their ice-cream was produced in places where peanut products were present. Note - they do not use peanut products in the production of anything but their peanut ice-cream - but they warn those with serious allergies to take care.

This scumbag knowingly tried to make money while endangering people's lives - and killed a customer. Fugg him.

[dembotoz]

4. would imagine if i had such severe allergies i would avoid large categories of food.

i have some more minor problems with shellfish.....

i keep my menu choices conservative

why push your luck

[Dorian Gray]

8. Yes

but if the food isn't traditionally made with what you are allergic to, and you specifically tell them about your allergies, and they tell you there is no peanut in it... then you probably feel like it's okay to eat.

This could have been prevented by caution on both sides, sure. It's tragic. I think the restaurant owner deserves the punishment. He willfully ignored the dangers to people with serious allergies, even after a close call shortly before this instance.

[malaise]

10. It should not be luck that guarantees safety

A shellfish allergy is very different from assuming that the correct ingredients are in your order.
A common thief killed the customer.

[Nye Bevan]

5. That's certainly going to concentrate the minds of takeout owners

when someone specifies "no nuts" with their order.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. Good. Wasnt an accident. He just didnt care