Pub diner is caught on camera ‘putting a shard of glass into her mouth before pretending to choke’
- Woman was at table in Judge Roy Beans bar in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland
- She puts her hand down the front of her top before ‘putting glass in her mouth’
- After hitting table with her hand to draw attention, staff member comes over
- Gardai took woman’s details and let her go; she called accusation ‘ridiculous’
A woman dining in a pub was caught on camera putting a piece of glass in her mouth and pretending to choke in an attempt to claim compensation, according to the bar’s owner.
Footage shows the alleged con artist eating at the Judge Roy Beans bar in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland, on the same table as two other women and a child.
She reaches down the front of her top and appears to put the shard of glass in her mouth and starts hitting the table with her hand to draw attention to the fact she is ‘choking’.
CCTV shows the woman (left, in jeans) eating at the Judge Roy Beans bar in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland, on the same table as two other women and a child
She appears to retrieve a shard of glass after putting her hand down the front of her top, during the incident on June 22
One of the other women stands up to help her before a member of staff comes over to the table, during the incident on June 22.
The diner then complains to the staff that the glass had been in her food.
Vivian Carroll, who owns the pub, told Irish Mirror: ‘I and many other publicans face [this] on a weekly basis. It’s clear from the footage that after hiding glass in her clothes, this person then deliberately places it in her mouth.
After slamming her hand on the table to draw attention to the fact she is ‘choking’, a member of staff comes over to assist
‘She told a member of staff the glass was in her food, which was obviously not the case. But if it wasn’t for security cameras, I could possibly have faced a massive claim.’
When confronted, the woman denied putting any glass in her mouth, saying the accusation was ‘ridiculous’, according to the Irish Sun.
Ms Carroll added that the Gardaí were informed of the incident and let the woman go after taking down her details.
Vivian Carroll, who owns the pub (pictured), said she could have faced a huge compensation claim. The Gardai were alerted and took down the female diner’s details before letting her go. She is said to have denied the allegation
The rising compensation culture for personal injury claims has had a crippling effect across the country.
It can have a devastating impact on small businesses as it forces insurance companies to hike premiums for commercial cover.
The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) represents around 4,000 publicans, including Ms Carroll.
VFI chief executive Padraig Cribben told Independent.ie: ‘The so-called “compo culture” stems from the fact that people think they can get away with making outrageous insurance claims – a belief supported and encouraged by some within the legal sector and facilitated by insurers settling dubious claims.’