Perth cafe charged after allegedly selling brownie laced with marijuana

Two young children and their mother allege they unwittingly ate a marijuana-laced brownie sold to them at a Perth cafe.

Supplied image made available Tuesday, April 13, 2010 of chocolate brownies, one of the recipes from MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan's new cookbook entitled "Comfort Food". (AAP Image/Penguin Australia) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Stock photo of chocolate brownies. Source: PENGUIN AUSTRALIA

A cafe owner has been charged after two young children and their mother ate a brownie allegedly laced with marijuana at his Perth business.

The complainants, known only as Michael and Sharon, told the ABC their family went to the Bada Bing Cafe in Woodlands on 2 March.

Afterwards their five-year-old daughter Emily described things as "jumping" and her vision became impaired, they said.

The family went to the hospital and soon Sharon began developing similar symptoms, while their three-year-old son Thomas was drowsy.
Bada Bing cafe in Woodlands, WA.
Bada Bing cafe in Woodlands, WA. Source: Google Maps
Hospital tests showed Sharon and the children had traces of marijuana in their system, they said.

Michael, who did not eat the brownie or have any symptoms, said he returned to the cafe the next day and bought another brownie.

"(I) put it straight in the freezer and then a week or so later the police came and took that away," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Analysis of one brownie confirmed the presence of THC and other cannabinoids, a spokeswoman for the City of Stirling council said.

It is not known how the marijuana allegedly came to be in the brownie.

Following an investigation, business owner Nathan Sharp, trading as Bada Bing Cafe, was charged by the council under the Food Act 2008 with two counts of selling food that was unsuitable on 2 March and 3 March.

"We can assure our residents and the community that we have done a thorough investigation," the city spokeswoman said.

"This appears to be an isolated incident and the city believes it has addressed any potential risk to the community."
Sharon and Michael said the incident continued to play on the minds of their children.

"We go to other cafes, or different places, or even cook and they ask 'does this have marijuana in it?'," Sharon said.

Bada Bing Cafe is a family business run by Mr Sharp and his wife Simona, who have four young children.

Ms Sharp said they had cooperated with police, who had not laid charges and were "most disappointed" to learn of the council charges via the radio.

"It came as a total shock to us that a Perth family is alleging that they became ill after eating at our cafe," she said in a statement.

"We of course have and continue to fully investigate this allegation.

"There will now be a court process, which has to take its course."

Mr Sharp is scheduled to face Perth Magistrates Court on 19 July.


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Perth cafe charged after allegedly selling brownie laced with marijuana | SBS News