Family files involuntary manslaughter complaint over Bordeaux botulism death
Stéphane Guitard, the lawyer for Tchin Tchin wine bar owner, said that his client is "absolutely devastated" and is doing everything he can to aid investigators. Picture: Facebook
The family of a woman who died of suspected botulism poisoning after eating sardines in Bordeaux before Ireland’s inaugural Rugby World Cup game has filed a complaint for alleged involuntary manslaughter.
The woman’s Irish husband, who also fell severely ill in Bordeaux, filed the involuntary manslaughter complaint with her family against Tchin Tchin wine bar, according to French newspaper .
Some fifteen people were poisoned by botulism after eating home-preserved sardines in Tchin Tchin wine bar in the southwestern French city, the paper reports.
French media previously reported that the owner threw out some jars of the sardines due to a strong smell, but he kept and served others which are now thought to be the source of a deadly outbreak of botulism between September 4-10.
Among the 14 other victims, six are still hospitalised at the Pellegrin hospital in Bordeaux, including four patients on respiratory assistance, reports.
The 32-year-old victim, a Greek national who married her 30-year-old Irish husband from Co Mayo in May, died in Île-de-France on September 12. The couple were due to go on honeymoon in the coming weeks.
An investigation for involuntary manslaughter has been opened, the Bordeaux prosecutor's office said. Investigations are also being launched into alleged involuntary injuries and sale of corrupt or toxic foodstuffs.
Preliminary postmortem results indicate that the woman died from asphyxia which can be caused by botulism poisoning as the toxin can paralyse the respiratory muscles.
Stéphane Guitard, the lawyer for Tchin Tchin wine bar owner, said that his client is "absolutely devastated" and is doing everything he can to aid investigators, local media outlet reports.
But he defended his processing of the deadly fish, saying that he followed the sterilization process carefully.
