Son traumatised in takeaway row

ADEVON man on his way home from work with his son was detained by three police units and breathalysed in front of 100 customers after complaining to a KFC manager about a 20-minute wait for chicken.

Robin Rickard, manager of the Newton Abbot branch of Iceland, took his son to the newest branch of KFC at Marsh Mills in Plymouth and paid for £23 worth of food at 8pm last Saturday night.

After he had paid at the drive through staff told him they were about to run out of food and he would have to wait so Robin, unhappy, complained to the duty manager.

Mr Rickard says the manager saw an unopened four-pack of cider in the back seat of his black BMW and asked if he had been drinking. He was told to wait in the car park – not knowing staff had called police.

Three police units arrived, ordered Mr Rickard, 47, out of his car and breathalysed him. He blew clear. Mr Rickard said: “I am very, very upset. I’m so upset for my son who had to witness his dad being taken from the car and was made to feel guilty before even being breathalysed. He didn’t deserve all of that on a Saturday night on the weekend of his birthday. He hasn’t slept in 48 hours.

“I passed the test, very, very easily, because I knew I wasn’t in the wrong. But now I have got the embarrassment of between 70 and 100 diners from that two-storey takeaway knowing I had been breathalysed.”

Explaining his version of events, Mr Rickard said: “I got through the drive-thru at 8.11pm (on Saturday evening). I ordered £23.85 of KFC meals and accompaniments.

“I was waiting for my chick- en in the drive though when the assistant manager told me that unfortunately they couldn’t complete my order because they were running low on food – they had 20 minutes worth of food left.

“I said, ‘Are you serious, it’s 8pm on a Saturday!’ I asked to speak to the store manager. A duty manager came out and I said it’s not acceptable. I said if it means us waiting, we will, because it’s my son’s birthday.

“They questioned if I had been drinking. I said I’ve just finished work so of course I wouldn’t have been drinking.”

Robin says he was told to park up – which is when things really escalated. “Suddenly, three police cars surrounded my car. They got me out of the car and told me KFC had reported me for drink driving.”

Devon and Cornwall Police says it has no log in connection with the incident as thousands of drivers are routinely breathalysed and get the all clear.

Jacqueline Edwards and Kristy Edwards, aka DJ Weasel, won outstanding team members