Prezzo Restaurant Says May Sue 'Poisoned' Couple If Incident Revealed As Hoax - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) Prezzo restaurant chain may sue Anna Shapiro and her husband Alex King who felt ill inside Prezzo Salisbury venue if it turns out that the two had pretended to be poisoned, media reported Friday.

The couple, who became sick at a restaurant over the weekend, was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital on Thursday after it was determined that they had not been exposed to any nerve agent, although Shapiro claimed that she had been targeted by Moscow.

Prezzo has held internal discussion on possibly suing the couple if it was found out that the incident had been a prank, The Times newspaper reported, citing a source from the chain.

It has reportedly been discovered that Shapiro's husband has once played a trick on Prince of Wales.

The restaurant suffered reputational damage and costs in wasted food as fears of the poisoning led to its closure, the newspaper reported.

The incident drew attention of the media as in March, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were hospitalized in Salisbury after what the UK authorities said was an exposure to a nerve agent. The two have since been released from hospital.

In July, a couple fell ill in Amesbury, with a woman Dawn Sturgess dying in hospital. The two were believed to have touched an object contaminated with the same substance that was used on the Skripals.

The UK authorities have blamed the incident on Moscow, however, Russian officials have repeatedly refuted the allegations.