AN Indian restaurant waiter who trained to be a doctor served undercover officers posing as nut allergy sufferers a curry containing peanuts.

North Yorkshire trading standards launched a purge on restaurants in the county after bar manager and father Paul Wilson, of Helperby, near Thirsk, died from anaphylactic shock, having eaten a curry from The Indian Garden in Easingwold, in January 2014.

The first to be convicted was Yorkshire businessman Saiful Islam, after he served investigators visiting his family's restaurant, The Spice Lounge, in Norton, North Yorkshire, a dish containing 59 grams of peanuts.

It has been calculated that highly sensitised individuals, such as Mr Wilson - who refused to handle peanuts at the bar - can react to as little as one two-thousandth of a single peanut.

Scarborough Magistrates Court heard waiter Monorul Gazi assured trading standards officer Andrew Eccles while taking his order that his chicken pasanda would be made with almonds.

Mr Eccles underlined no peanuts should not be in the meal.

The order was relayed to the kitchen where Mr Islam, who was normally front of house, was covering for an absent chef.

Prosecuting barrister Lewis Kerr, for trading standards, said when the food arrived the two customers revealed their identities.

Mr Islam, 47, was spoken to in the kitchen and immediately admitted the dish contained peanuts.

The hearing was told there was a warning on the menu that the dish "contained nuts", but it did not specify peanuts.

Jeremy Barton, mitigating, said: "All staff are trained to give information about what's in the dishes.

"But the waiter had previously been training to become a doctor and due to mental health issues he had quit because of the stress.

"This is a family run business. He lives and dies by his reputation, which has suffered."

Mr Islam, of Peel Square, Bradford, admitted supplying a meal not of the substance demanded.

He was fined £675, with a surcharge of £68, and court costs of £750.

Presiding magistrate Philip Catterell said: “We are mindful of the potentially serious harm that could have come about if a customer had ordered this dish who had a nut allergy.

“Mr Gazi should have known the dish may have contained ground peanuts and Mr Islam should have made sure he did.”

After the hearing, Mr Islam said: “It was just one of those things. It was all there in black and white on the menu.”