A Michelin-starred chef has avoided jail after running over a British intern with his SUV, causing life-changing injuries that led to a double amputation. The incident occurred after a staff party in Antwerp, Belgium, in January 2024.
Joe Claridge, 39, a sous chef interning at The Jane, a two-star restaurant owned by Dutch chef Nick Bril, was run over by Bril's Land Rover Defender. Bril backed the vehicle and then drove forward, going over Claridge, who was lying on the ground. Claridge suffered catastrophic injuries and was in a coma for 50 days before both his legs were amputated.
While the court deemed the crash an accident, prosecutors accused Bril of not acting quickly enough. Emergency services were only alerted after a jogger urged Bril to call for help. The judge found Bril's 'knowing and wilful' silence with paramedics amounted to a hit-and-run. Bril was found guilty of leaving the scene and failing to report the incident, but cleared of deliberately driving over Claridge.
Bril, who admitted wrongdoing, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a four-month driving ban. Compensation for Claridge was initially set at a symbolic €1, with the full amount to be determined later. Claridge has since moved to Jersey with his family, where he spent a week in hospital in December.
