THE boss of a chain of Indian restaurants told police it was a “big shock” to him one of his customers died from an allergic reaction to a chicken tikka masala.

Mohammed Zaman also claimed Paul Wilson’s death must have been an accident.

The 38-year-old victim was found dead at his home in Helperby, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, after buying a chicken tika masala takeaway containing peanuts from the Indian Garden restaurant in Easingwold owned by Mr Zaman on January 31, 2014 - despite assurances from staff the meal was nut free.

Mr Zaman is accused of switching almond powder for cheaper groundnut powder, containing peanuts, and failing to warn customers he was using peanut ingredients.

In police interviews, Mr Zaman claimed the usual nut powder used at his five restaurants was changed by his suppliers without him being notified.

He said he only became aware of the switch after a young customer suffered an anaphylactic shock after eating a supposedly nut-free chicken korma on January 3, 2014.

In a prepared statement given during his first interview in April 2014, he said health and safety training was given to all the staff at Indian Garden.

He said: “I believe what happened was an accident. I genuinely do not see what else I could have done to ensure this did not happen."

In a second interview two months later, he was accused by detectives of telling lies in the first one - including a claim he made that allergen control advice was in place before the tragedy.

He told police: "My intention was not to harm anyone, but this investigation is already suffering my business.

"It is a big shock to me. In a business, you don't want to be killing someone."

As well as being read details of Mr Zaman’s police interviews, the jury in his Teesside Crown Court trial also heard a series of agreed facts.

They were told that during the investigation into Mr Wilson’s death a number of false food training certificates in various names were seized from the Jaipur Spice restaurant in Haxby Road, York, which had been printed out.

One of them bore the name of the chef that cooked the meal that killed Paul Wilson, Fokhor Uddin.

Mr Uddin, whose name was wrongly spelt on the certificate, later produced to police investigators a legitimate certificate showing he had a level two food safety qualification in catering overseen by the Royal Society for Public Health.

Mr Zaman, who is expected to give evidence in his own defence on Monday, was asked about the false training certificates but made no comment.

The 53-year-old, of Huntington, York, denies manslaughter by gross negligence, perverting the course of justice and six food safety offences. The trial continues.