A SQUAD of detectives which helped secure the country’s first successful prosecution of a restaurateur for killing an allergy sufferer has been nominated for an accolade.

The North Yorkshire Police serious crime team – which spent two years investigating the death of bar manager Paul Wilson, of Helperby, near Thirsk, moments after he ate a takeaway curry which he had been assured was nut-free – are among the leading contenders for a Public Choice Award.

The inquiry was launched after officers found a barely eaten takeaway and order slip featuring the words “no nuts” at the home of Mr Wilson, who had a severe nut allergy.

The groundbreaking and relentless investigation saw the officers liaise with numerous experts and conduct a detailed analysis of the financial affairs and unscrupulous business practices of Mohammed Zaman, owner of The Indian Garden restaurant, in Easingwold.

Due to the seven detectives’ quick response to the case, forensic scientists were able to confirm the chicken tikka massala Mr Wilson was served contained a large amount of peanut and pathologists found he died after eating 500 micrograms of peanut – two thousand times less than the weight of a paperclip.

Allergy campaign groups hailed the detectives following Zaman being jailed for six years for manslaughter due to gross negligence in May. Allergy Action founder Hazel Gowland said the inquiry had led to a “huge breakthrough” for the one-in-50 people in the country with a food allergy.

She added: “It is shocking it has taken this long for someone to be prosecuted over an allergy-related death, but this time police managed to get all their ducks in a row. I am hoping this investigation will be a template for all future police inquiries of this sort.”

Other officers nominated for the North Yorkshire Police Public Choice Award include Catterick Garrison police community support officers (PSCO) Di Smith and Ange Kay, for securing the trust of a woman in distress from Colburn, who had rejected help from public agencies.

A police spokesman said: “Realising that extra efforts were needed, the PCSOs went to remarkable lengths to establish contact with the lady and help her with everyday tasks, including attending hospital appointments.

“By treating a person in need as an individual, the PCSOs made sure the lady was able to get the right care – even when that meant acting on her behalf in their own off-duty time.”

Also nominated are a team of six PCSOs who entered a burning building in York despite having no specialist equipment to help them and prevented the fire from spreading further, and searched and cleared the rest of the property.

Other contenders include five officers and two PCSOs who tackled a 19-year-old man who had stabbed his friend multiple times and a passer-by while suffering a drug-induced psychotic episode at a house in York and a Harrogate officer who coaxed a suicidal girl down from a railway bridge.

To vote, visit smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NYP2016PublicChoice/