A chef was sentenced Thursday after his shepherd’s pie made 31 people sick and killed a 92-year-old woman in an England pub.
Thirty-one people fell ill from food poisoning and 92-year-old Elizabeth Neuman died after chef John Croucher served them the contaminated dish at a harvest-supper party at the Crewe Arms in early October of 2018, the Independent reported. (RELATED: 9 Members Of A Chinese Family Die After Eating Noodles)
At a church function, a British pub chef named John Croucher admitted to undercooking a shepherd’s pie, which killed a 92-year-old woman and sickened 31 others. Who is John Croucher? Bio, Wiki, Age, Chef, Shepherd’s Pie, Sentenced: https://t.co/2bSnq0tqTG#JohnCroucher #chef
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Neuman reportedly vomited repeatedly and died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage after eating Croucher’s dish, while 31 people became “unpleasantly ill” and three other people were fine due to being vegetarians, according to the Independent.
Croucher, who was representing himself in court, said, “Remorse is an understatement. This is something I will never forget. Because of it, I am a better chef and it is just a shame the cost of it had to be what it was,” according to the outlet.
The chef was sentenced to four months in jail and suspended for 12 months at Reading Crown Court after admitting to a charge of contravening food regulations, the Independent reported.
The pub’s landlord, Neil Billingham, was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after admitting to three charges of contravening food regulations as well, according to the Independent.
“No sentence I pass can reflect the loss caused to the family,” Judge Sarah Campbell said, according to the outlet. “Croucher was the chef that night. The mince was not cooked properly and was placed into a pan with iced water. Croucher needed to leave, so put the mince in cling film and put it in the fridge overnight. Having left it, he cooked it again and added warm mashed potato. He did not take the temperature when it was served.”
None of the members of the party who got food poisoning did not want to press charges against the pub, Billingham, or Croucher, the Independent reported.