Gross Negligence Manslaughter conviction and sentence upheld

In R v Zaman [2017] EWCA Crim 1783, the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) has upheld a sentence of six years’ imprisonment for gross negligence manslaughter as appropriate in a case in which a restaurant owner had persistently failed, over the course of several months, to take steps to ensure that customers suffering from peanut allergies were not given meals containing peanuts. He had failed to make any effort to improve his systems even after another customer had suffered a violent allergic reaction.