UK curry allergy death: 6-yr jail for eatery owner

LONDON: A UK court on Tuesday sentenced the Bangladeshiorigin owner of an Indian restaurant to six years in jail for the death of a customer who suffered an allergy-related

LONDON: A UK court on Tuesday sentenced the Bangladeshiorigin owner of an Indian restaurant to six years in jail for the death of a customer who suffered an allergy-related shock after eating a curry that contained peanuts.

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The jury of Teesside Crown Court had on Monday found Mohammed Zaman, 52, guilty of manslaughter after a trial in which the court was told he cut corners by using cheaper ingredients containing peanuts.

The customer, 38-year-old Paul Wilson who suffered from peanuts allergy, had specifically asked for a meal with no nuts in January 2014 from the Indian Garden restaurant in Easingwold, north Yorkshire.

The sentencing judge told Z am an: “Paul Wilson was in the prime of his life. He, like you, worked in the catering trade. He, unlike you, was a careful man”.

But the judge acknowledged Zaman was of “good character”.

In a statement read out in court, Wilson’s parents Margaret and Keith, from Sheffield, said they felt “numb, shock and disbelief” over their son’s death.

“I feel robbed that I won’t share the rest of my life with Paul,” Keith Wilson said.

During the hearing, Zaman had denied responsibility but the jury was told he switched almond powder for a cheaper ground nut mix, which contained peanuts.

Prosecuting lawyer Richard Wright said: “There was no confusion here. Instead there was a business in which corners were being cut for the sake of profits... and the customer was constantly exposed to danger.”