Rookie cop with nut allergy in hospital after peanuts were left in his locker
A criminal investigation has been launched after a police officer with a nut allergy was hospitalised when the snack was left in his locker.
Scotland Yard said it is treating the incident as an attempted assault causing grievous bodily harm after the officer had a reaction to the peanuts on Monday. The victim, understood to be a rookie PC, was treated by colleagues at the scene in Wembley police station, North West London, before being taken to hospital and later discharged.
Supt Steve Allen, of the North West command unit, said: “While this matter remains under investigation, the circumstances as we know them so far are absolutely unacceptable. If there are criminal or conduct matters identified in this case we will take firm action.”
CID officers are investigating the incident alongside the local professional standards unit which is responsible for probing fellow cops. There have been no arrests and no officer is suspended or on restricted duties.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “We are investigating an allegation of crime following an incident that happened on Monday 4 December at Wembley police station. An officer who suffers a nut allergy found peanuts inside his locker. He was treated by colleagues for an allergic reaction and then taken to hospital before being discharged.
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“Detailed enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing. The incident is being treated at this stage as an attempted assault causing grievous bodily harm and is being investigated by local CID and local professionalism officers.”
Nuts are now understood to have been banned from communal areas of the police station. One theory being examined is that the officer was the target of a prank, according to a source.
A senior officer issued a statement on the intranet to all staff in the building. It said: “I would like to assure you that this incident is being treated very seriously. A criminal investigation has been launched, this limits what information I can share with you. Thankfully the officer is recovering and receiving welfare support from their line manager.”
The Met’s central Directorate of Professional Standards has been made aware of the incident but the police watchdog said nothing had been referred to them.
A severe reaction to nuts, called anaphylaxis, can be life-threatening. Symptoms often occur quickly including difficulty breathing, vomiting, dizziness and a rapid heartbeat. In 2016 an Indian restaurant owner with a “cavalier attitude” to safety was jailed for six years for the manslaughter of a customer with a peanut allergy, after he supplied him with a curry containing peanuts.
Paul Wilson, 38, was meticulous about his condition and asked for no nuts when staff at the Indian Garden, Easingwold, North Yorkshire, cooked his chicken tikka masala takeaway in January 2014. Mr Wilson, a bar manager, died from a severe anaphylactic shock.
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