Man claims he's still suffering 16 months after horror kebab shop infection

A carer has told how he is still suffering more than a year after getting food poisoning from a kebab. Sami Abdullah and Hassan Saritag have admitted criminal offences following a contamination at Abergavenny's Marmaris Kebab House which saw more than 50 people fall ill.

One of the victims, 76-year-old John Inglesby, has instructed lawyers ahead of a potential civil case. He said: “To this day I’m still not right. It’s truly awful how many people have been affected and something needs to be done to stop it happening again.”

Last month Abdullah, the takeaway's former director, and his associate Saritag appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court where both pleaded guilty to placing unsafe food on the market, failing to put in place food safety procedures and failing to register new owners at the business. They are due to be sentenced in September. The outbreak happened in February 2023 when more than 50 people became unwell – and 11 of those victims were hospitalised – after eating "contaminated" food from the Cross Street kebab shop, said a Monmouthshire council spokesman.

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Mr Inglesby, from Abergavenny, went to the takeaway on February 10, 2023, and had a chicken sheesh kebab with coleslaw and salad. A spokeswoman from his law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "Within days John was suffering from severe diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and sweats. He had a stool sample taken and he was advised by Public Health Wales that the shigella bacteria – an intestinal infection – was the likely cause of his symptoms. As a result he was given antibiotics."

Mr Inglesby, whose wife died in January 2023, had only returned to work as a carer days before his visit to Marmaris. He fell ill three days after the meal and experienced "acute symptoms" which lasted for around a week and a half but he allegedly continues to battle "gastric complications", according to the spokeswoman for Irwin Mitchell, which is investigating the matter on his behalf.

"When I went back to work I was still struggling with grief and decided to visit my regular kebab shop," said Mr Inglesby. "I’m not one to get stomach aches so when I started to feel unwell I knew something wasn’t right. It worsened very quickly and before long I was in and out of the bathroom every 10 minutes. It got so bad that I had to see the doctor and at that point I was told I had an infection. I didn’t really piece it all together, however, until I heard that other people had been ill after going to the kebab shop."

A spokesman for Monmouthshire council, which brought the prosecution, said a "wide-ranging" investigation by council officers was able to "positively link" the infections to Marmaris after expert advice from Public Health Wales. At the time of the outbreak Public Health Wales said it was aware of "an increase in cases of gastrointestinal illness" in Abergavenny believed to be caused by the shigella infection. The health agency described shigella as an intestinal infection, adding: "It is not life-threatening, although in some cases it may result in hospitalisation, but symptoms usually clear up within four to five days."

The council spokesman said that after the outbreak there were further offences of failing to register new owners at the business and failing to maintain a suitable food safety management system. Saritag, 38, of Cross Street in Abergavenny, and Abdullah, 46, of Richmond Road in Cwmbran, have admitted these charges as well as placing unsafe food on the market. The business is under new ownership.

Shortly after the outbreak one person told WalesOnline their family and friends had been through "horrendous sickness" after contracting shigella following a visit to the takeaway on February 10 last year. They said: "My relatives became incredibly sick on the following Sunday and Monday with symptoms persisting through to the midweek for one and late week for the other. Symptoms included some vomiting, fevers, terrible stomach cramps, and blood in their diarrhoea."

Sarita Sharma, the specialist public health lawyer representing Mr Inglesby, said: “The first-hand account we’ve heard from John regarding his symptoms is deeply concerning and to hear that more than 50 people were unwell after eating at the kebab house is shocking. Shigella is a highly contagious infection leading to gastrointestinal illness, the effects of which should never be downplayed as it can, in some cases such as John’s, lead to long-term health issues."