Perth restaurant owner convicted after kids were served mosquito repellant
A restaurant owner has been fined $40,000 after being found guilty of serving mosquito repellent instead of cranberry juice to two children and their mother at a bar tender in 2024.
Michele Angiuli, 35, was charged after a family dining at the since-shuttered Italian restaurant called police after an incident that left their 11- and 12-year-old daughter and their mother drinking small amounts of citronella.
Angiuli was sentenced for the incident on Monday; The Perth Magistrates Court heard that the bartender accidentally poured pesticide into the drinks instead of the juice he had ordered, but “failed to exercise due care” because he was not a food safety officer and the bar area was untidy.
The parents of the victims confronted the bar attendant on the day of the incident and demanded to see the bottle in which he poured the drinks, which said citronella oil mixed with insect repellent.
The court heard they took the children, whose mouths were burning, to Perth Children’s Hospital for a check-up.
However, Angiuli did not accept the accusations of not complying with food standard rules, knowingly selling unsafe food and selling food that did not have the quality or substance requested by the buyer.
During his trial, he told the court that his lawyer could not be held responsible for his actions.
But the judge disagreed.
Delivering his verdict on Monday, he told the court that his venue, Mikys Italian Restaurant, “was not properly managed or compliant in a number of areas”.
He also claimed that Angiuli was not a “credible” or “reliable” witness, lied to food safety officials and “tried to shift the blame to employees.”
In deciding what sentence to impose on Angiuli, the judge cited a similar case in 2019 in which two minors were mistakenly sold marijuana-laced cakes.
An individual box of metal shavings found in a Hungry Jacks hamburger was also used as a comparison.
Angiuli and his company were likewise fined $20,000 and ordered to pay legal fees totaling approximately $20,000.
The court heard that after his arrest he was forced to close the restaurant due to “negative publicity” and “not for good pay”, and although he was a “passionate chef” he no longer worked in the food industry.
“The children were young. But the consequences could have been more serious as it was citronella and tasted disgusting and they spat it out immediately,” the judge told him.
