Family business at centre of slug saga hands over ‘bulletproof’ evidence

A family-owned catering company who claim a slug was planted on the floor of its Dandenong factory during a council inspection say they have passed on 2500 pages of “bulletproof” evidence to police. It comes as some MPs demand a parliamentary inquiry into the “very murky affair”.

Owner of iCook Ian Cook says he has handed over 2,500 pages to police on the slug saga. Picture: David Caird

Vision of the moment a Dandenong catering company alleges a slug was planted on its factory floor during a council inspection is among 62 hours of footage to be sent to police today.

After a year-long private probe, iCook Foods says it has 2500 pages of evidence which warrant a criminal investigation into up to five individuals connected to the case.

Last year, the business was briefly shut down after a nursing home illness, and was later charged by Dandenong Council over 96 food safety issues.

Owners Ian and Ben Cook claim a slug was planted on the floor of their factory. Picture: David Caird

When the matter reached court, all charges were withdrawn by the council, which said it did not want to use ratepayer resources to fight a lengthy legal battle.

Company owner Ian Cook said the contraventions of the Food Act had been cooked up to close him down, and that scientific analysis cast doubt on how a slug could be in the factory.

He told the Herald Sun the alleged slug planting was “just one of the crimes” police could pursue.

“Ultimately justice always comes down to the evidence and our team of retired detectives have put together a bulletproof brief of evidence,” he said.

“If they did this to me, I suspect they have done this to others as well, and they need to be stopped. That’s why I’ve taken this stand.

“It’s a police matter now and no-one is above the law.”

A photo showing a slug found in the iCook Foods (left) facility in Dandenong that was sent to owners, compared to the original photo (right) taken during a health inspection.

Dandenong Council strongly refutes all allegations made about wrongdoing by its staff, and has previously said it had a responsibility to ensure food related premises comply with provisions of the Food Act.

The council said in a statement that it would “warmly welcome” and co-operate with a police investigation, but was unable to confirm whether there was an open investigation when it contacted the force this week.

“Council remains of the view that neither it nor its employees have behaved in an unlawful manner,” the council’s corporate services director Mick Jaenschthe said.

The slug saga has also been put under the microscope at state parliament, where some MPs want a parliamentary inquiry into the Department of Health’s role in shutting down the business.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said a parliamentary probed was needed to “get to the bottom of this very murky affair”.

“It’s critical that the community has confidence in the system that forced the closure of a legitimate family business, and that’s why the Parliament needs to do its job and get to the bottom of what has happened,” she said.

In total, Mr Cook says there are 33 people at the council and department who were involved in the prosecution of his business and who are implicated in the brief of evidence prepared by five retired police detectives.

They say police could pursue a case against individuals for perjury, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office, making and using a false document, and obtaining financial advantage by deception.

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