Lidl - the purveyor of gloriously cheap German food - has paid out in a defamation case this week after accusing five- year old Tadhg Mooney of stealing a packet of crisps from one of their stores.
The events unfolded last year when little Tadhg and his mum - in search of bratwurst, sauerkraut and a packet of crisps - trotted down to their local Lidl in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. Having stocked up on bargains, Ms. Mooney left the shop and returned to her car, only to discover her son was nowhere to be seen.
Shouting her son's name in panic, Ms. Mooney found out from a fellow shopper that a check out girl had lept from her till, dragged Tadhg back into the shop by his arm and accused him of pilfering a bag of crisps. Horror and chaos ensued. Ms. Mooney stormed back into the store brandishing her receipt and demanding an apology. The check out girl refused. Shoppers gawped. Meanwhile, Tadhg presumably wept silently into his bag of potato flavoured snacks as he realised the full enormity of the assault upon his reputation.
So they sued for defamation, false imprisonment and assault. Obviously. After months of fevered negotiations - presumably during which evidence was produced as to Tadhg's hard won reputation in the local community - the case was finally settled for £6,200 to be kept in a trust until Tadhg reaches 18.
Ms Mooney wants to spend the money on a trip to Australia, Tadgh wants to spend it all on monster munch
Tadgh's good name may now be cleared but Ms Mooney will not be returning to Lidl anymore. As she told the Daily Mail, "Now I go to Tesco."
This incident is not Lidl's first brush with the controversy. Apparently, the company apologised in November 2008 after workers at one of its Swedish stores deliberately poured cleaning fluid in the rubbish bins to stop homeless people rummaging through them for food. Nice.
The events unfolded last year when little Tadhg and his mum - in search of bratwurst, sauerkraut and a packet of crisps - trotted down to their local Lidl in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. Having stocked up on bargains, Ms. Mooney left the shop and returned to her car, only to discover her son was nowhere to be seen.
Shouting her son's name in panic, Ms. Mooney found out from a fellow shopper that a check out girl had lept from her till, dragged Tadhg back into the shop by his arm and accused him of pilfering a bag of crisps. Horror and chaos ensued. Ms. Mooney stormed back into the store brandishing her receipt and demanding an apology. The check out girl refused. Shoppers gawped. Meanwhile, Tadhg presumably wept silently into his bag of potato flavoured snacks as he realised the full enormity of the assault upon his reputation.
So they sued for defamation, false imprisonment and assault. Obviously. After months of fevered negotiations - presumably during which evidence was produced as to Tadhg's hard won reputation in the local community - the case was finally settled for £6,200 to be kept in a trust until Tadhg reaches 18.
Ms Mooney wants to spend the money on a trip to Australia, Tadgh wants to spend it all on monster munch
Tadgh's good name may now be cleared but Ms Mooney will not be returning to Lidl anymore. As she told the Daily Mail, "Now I go to Tesco."
This incident is not Lidl's first brush with the controversy. Apparently, the company apologised in November 2008 after workers at one of its Swedish stores deliberately poured cleaning fluid in the rubbish bins to stop homeless people rummaging through them for food. Nice.
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