Lettuce prank shop worker sentenced

The Brownhills sandwich bar worker who posed on a video shoving lettuce into his nose and mouth before spitting it out into a tray used to serve the public was today sentenced by magistrates.

The disgusting stunt which has appeared on an internet site, had already led to the sacking of 22-year-old culprit Richard Shannon, of Castle Street, Brownhills, but he was today ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.

Walsall magistrates handed him a 12-month community order and told him to pay £60 in costs.

The images were originally posted on internet site YouTube but were later removed.

As a fellow member of staff films from a mobile phone, Shannon, who was working at the Brownhills branch of Subway, takes a handful of lettuce and stuffs it into his mouth and up his nose, before spitting it back out into the containers used to serve customers.

The grinning worker then puts the tray back on the counter to be added to sandwiches customers at the High Street shop.

Subway spokeswoman Sally Lloyd today said the chain's franchisees "take food safety extremely seriously".

The sick prank came to light following reports that a furious female customer had hurled a chair at Shannon at the Brownhills branch. She had watched footage of the 22-year-old sticking lettuce in his mouth and nose.

The woman explained the source of her anger to police who turned out to the shop and arrested the employee.

He claimed he had thrown the lettuce in question away immediately after the prank.

Walsall magistrates warned him last week he could face time in jail after hearing him plead guilty to contaminating or interfering with goods with intent to cause economic loss and alarm, anxiety or injury to the public.