A Michelin-starred chef, whose actions cost his intern both his legs, walked away with a slap on the wrist.
“I don’t think we’ll keep Joe as an intern,” the boss, Nick Bril, reportedly texted his staff after running over his intern twice and not immediately calling emergency services.
Some netizens found his sentence hard to swallow.
A Michelin-starred chef, whose actions cost his intern both his legs, walked away with a slap on the wrist
Image credits: thejaneantwerp
Nick Bril, the owner of The Jane in Antwerp, Belgium, was spared jail time over a horrific crash involving his British intern Joe Claridge, 37.
Joe’s life changed forever after he joined his co-workers and his boss Nick for an after-work drinking session on January 8, 2024.
Image credits: DeMorgen
It was a customary Sunday ritual for Nick and his staff to make their way through unfinished bottles of wine and Champagne, opened over the week during service at the two-star restaurant.
The party continued until the wee hours, and the colleagues called a taxi for Joe at around 6 a.m.
Around eight people were still present at the party at the time.
Joe unfortunately fell in the car park and was lying on the ground when Nick arrived and entered his Land Rover Defender.
It was a customary Sunday ritual for Nick and his staff to make their way through unfinished bottles of alcohol
Image credits: HLN
CCTV footage captured Nick reversing the vehicle and running over his trainee.
He then steered the Land Rover forward, running over Joe once again.
Reports claimed Nick allegedly exited the car but did not immediately call emergency services.
Image credits: DeMorgen
The high-profile chef reportedly stood over the injured intern for about 10 minutes and eight seconds. He was then interrupted by a passing jogger, who noticed Joe on the ground and asked why he hadn’t called an ambulance yet.
Nick allegedly said at the time, “I have a new phone, and I can’t use it properly yet.”
The jogger then went to a nearby hotel and called the emergency services.
“I have a new phone, and I can’t use it properly yet,” Nick told a passerby about why he hadn’t called an ambulance after running over his intern twice
Image credits: HLN
Prosecutors said in court that Nick “would probably have gotten back into the car and driven away” if the jogger hadn’t passed by.
Paramedics also told the court that Nick was too quiet at the scene and didn’t immediately tell them Joe was hit by a car.
“Usually, people are a chatterbox and can’t tell us enough,” they said, “but with Nick Bril, we had to ask everything just to find something out.”
Image credits: thejaneantwerp
Following the collision, Nick reportedly sent a group WhatsApp message to his staff.
“Guys, I just finished up with our new intern. Complete KO. An ambulance and the police, everything involved,” the boss said. “I don’t think we’ll keep Joe as an intern.”
Joe was in a coma for 50 days and had both his legs amputated
Image credits: HLN
Nick also told authorities he couldn’t remember how much alcohol he had consumed before the crash.
“One glass of wine, then two negronis and two beers. Then I finished with a few shots of tequila with the team,” he was quoted as saying. “I can’t say how many. I think I was still able to drive.”
Image credits: HLN
Joe was in a coma for 50 days and lost several organs. Both his legs had to be amputated, leaving him on a long road to rehabilitation following the post-party crash.
Nick spoke during the trial and said, “I am not pretending to be an innocent person.”
“I can only imagine how the last few years have unfolded for him,” he added.
Nick was cleared of deliberately driving over the intern despite the severity of Joe’s injuries
Image credits: joechef.mitchell
Despite the severity of Joe’s injuries, Nick was cleared of deliberately driving over the intern.
The judge said he “could not have foreseen the accident and did not intend the consequences.”
However, the judge believed he “knowingly and wilfully” stayed silent once responders arrived. It was also “manifestly implausible” that Nick didn’t realize he had run over his trainee, the judge said.
The judge found him guilty of leaving the scene and failing to report the incident. He handed him a 12-month suspended sentence and banned him from driving for four months.
Nick was also fined just under £4,200 ($5,560) and is expected to retake his driving tests.
“The power of money,” one commented, while another said, “this stinks of corruption”
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