Reckless restaurant slapped with $28K fine for serving 2 children ‘poisoned’ drink instead of juice
A restaurant in Australia was fined $28,000 after serving two children insect repellent instead of cranberry juice, a shocking mix-up that could have been life-threatening, according to reports.
Miky’s Italian Fusion in Perth received the hefty penalty Tuesday after sisters Hannah, 12, and Olivia Lemin, 11, were given pink-colored citronella torch and lamp solution during a family dinner in June 2024, instead of the juice they had ordered, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Believing the liquid was juice, the girls took a sip before spitting it out, telling their parents it tasted like it had been “poisoned.” “My daughters just went to gulp it down and they both spat the cranberry juice out and said ‘It’s poisoned,’” their mother, Michele Lemin, told the outlet.
“I said, ‘Don’t be silly,’ and took the glass myself—but I had to spit it out too,” she added. Their father, Marcus Lemin, confronted the staff and asked to see the bottle, but an employee initially insisted it was “just old cranberry juice.”
He eventually got the bottle and, following advice from the poisons information center, rushed his daughters to Perth Children’s Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, ABC reported.
“My daughters’ stomachs were burning, their fingers and hands were tingling,” Michele said, noting they also suffered headaches. Olivia later told 9 News she was “scared” and thought she was “going to die.”
The incident prompted an investigation that led to the restaurant’s former owner, Michele Angiuli, losing his business. He was found guilty of selling unsafe food, failing to exercise due diligence, and two additional charges. Angiuli’s lawyer said he no longer works in the hospitality industry.
Marcus Lemin hopes the case will serve as a warning to other restaurants. “I think the issue for me is more that it drives a bit more rigor in the industry,” he said. “And that we get to a point where maybe business owners in the hospitality industry understand the accountabilities they hold.”
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