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Man Arrested After Calling 999 Over 'Wrong Meal' In McDonald's

Man Arrested After Calling 999 Over 'Wrong Meal' In McDonald's

'He recalls having around six cans which was out of the ordinary for him,' it was heard in court

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A man who claimed to have 'severe allergies' was arrested in a McDonald's restaurant after calling 999 to complain that staff had got his order wrong.

The customer is said to have sunk six cans of lager before heading into the restaurant in Manchester, where a scuffle broke out, it was heard in court.

Leslie McDonagh had stopped in for a bite to eat before meeting his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but was less than impressed when the Big Mac he ordered came with onions.

The court heard that a disagreement ensued, with the 53-year-old insurance worker, from Wigan, challenging the manager to a fight.

McDonagh reportedly used his mobile phone to call for the police, telling an operator he had got the 'wrong meal' and could not eat onions as the result of a 'severe allergy'.

When police arrived at the scene, they attempted to remove McDonagh from the premises, but he fell to the floor and grabbed at the legs of one of the officers. He then spat in an officer's face as he was escorted from the restaurant, before being arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

His defence lawyer, Claire Parrot, said at the hearing: "One thing that wasn't clear is that it wasn't just an argument about the order being wrong, the defendant has severe allergies.

"He specifically asked for something to not be in his food and it was. That is how this started.

The 53-year-old lost it after staff messed up his Big Mac order.
Cavendish Press

"He works for financial services and has had the same job for five years. He went out on a work night out on the night in question. He doesn't ordinarily drink and takes medication for a back injury. He recalls having around six cans which was out of the ordinary for him.

"He left early because that night was his wedding anniversary. He had this argument about his food and thought McDonald's did not deal with it appropriately. Of course he now realises that this was not a police matter. He called them as did the McDonald's staff.

"His memory of the incident isn't complete but he was quite clearly utterly embarrassed and ashamed. This was not a planned attack on the officer, he says that he's not a violent person."

The incident took place at around 10.30pm on 21 December - which fell on the Friday before Christmas, known as 'Mad Friday', one of the city's busiest nights of the year.

The argument broke out at the McDonald's restaurant on Oxford Road, in Manchester.
Google Maps

Prosecutor Paul Sumner said: "This incident happened at the McDonald's on Oxford Street in Manchester city centre.

"There has been a disagreement between the defendant and the staff. He was being aggressive with the staff members and the manager.

"The defendant stated that he got given onions on his burger and he wasn't happy with it so there had been a disagreement. He asked the manager outside for a fight.

"The defendant called the police himself. The police attended and in drink, he's requested them to take action against the staff at McDonald's.

"Police informed him that his food order being incorrect was not a valid reason to call them and they requested him to leave.

"They tried to escort him out of the premises, he's fallen to the floor and attempted to grab hold of the legs of the officer. The police then were able to hold the defendant by his arms in the scuffle and escort him out of the store.

"The officers were struggling with the defendant and whilst they were doing this, he spat in in one of the officers' face. He was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and assaulting an emergency worker."

McDonagh admitted assault by beating of an emergency worker and being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

He was ordered to complete a 12-month community order with 120 hours' unpaid work, and was also fined £190.

LADbible has contacted McDonald's for comment.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Food, UK News, Interesting