Takeaway worker on trial over girl’s ‘allergy death’
A1 5 - Y E AR- O L D allergy sufferer was unlawfully killed when she unknowingly ate a takeaway meal containing peanuts, a jury has heard.
Megan Lee, who was diagnosed with a peanut allergy aged eight, endured an asthma attack a few hours after she and a friend ordered food online from the Royal Spice Takeaway via the Just Eat website.
The takeaway’s owner, Mohammed Abdul Kuddus, 40, and Harun Rashid, of Rudd Street, Haslingden, who the Crown say was effectively the manager of the shop, deny manslaughter.
Her friend wrote ‘prawns, nuts’ in the comments and notes section of the online order form for food which
did not ordinarily contain either ingredient, Manchester Crown Court was told.
Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said staff at the Oswaldtwistle takeaway paid no attention to the entry and served a meal including an onion bhaji, a Peshwari naan and a seekh kebab – which tests later showed had the ‘widespread presence’ of peanut protein.
After the delivery was dropped off at her friend’s home at about 6pm on December 30, 2016, the girls shared the food but Megan suffered an ‘immediate reaction’ when she began to eat the kebab.
Her friend noted Megan appeared ‘lumpy’ and the girl’s mother gave Megan some liquid antihistamine, which made her feel better.
Mr Wright said Megan went upstairs to her bed-
room but shortly after Mrs Lee heard her daughter call out.
He said: “An ambulance was called. Megan stopped breathing and her heart stopped.”
She had suffered irreversible brain damage and was pronounced dead at hospital on the morning of January 1, said the prosecutor.
A police investigation was
launched as well as a probe by local Trading Standards. Environmental health officers who inspected the Union Road takeaway on January 6 immediately closed it down.
Earlier in the hearing, Kuddus, of Belper Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to a count of failing to discharge a general duty of employers, contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act. He also entered a guilty plea to the same offence on behalf of Royal Spice Takeaway Limited, trading as Royal Spice Takeaway.
Fellow Bangladeshi national Rashid, who delivered the meal, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The trial is estimated to last up to four weeks.
Proceeding
‘Megan stopped breathing’