Little Miss Korea lawyers battle to question four men injured in barbecue fireball in person in WorkSafe court case

A popular Darwin restaurant aims to question some of their customers who were severely burned in a fiery explosion in their heated WorkSafe court case.

Lawyers for a popular Darwin Korean barbecue restaurant aim to question six men whose night out at a popular Darwin restaurant ended in a fiery explosion.

On Tuesday NT WorkSafe and Little Miss Korea battled in the Darwin Local Court over whether four ‘crucial’ witnesses to an explosion at Little Miss Korea should appear in person.

Little Miss Korea has previously indicated it would fight the charge of failure to comply with its health and safety duties.

The six diners were at the Korean barbecue restaurant on September 7, 2022 when it was alleged the gas canister was heated by hot coals, triggering the pressure valve to release.

An explosion resulted in five men requiring emergency treatment, with NT Police reporting that one man suffered burns to 40 per cent of his body. 

The barbecue appliance used in the Little Miss Korea explosion. Insert 1. The vented cartridge compartment. Insert 2. The release vents are exposed on the gas cartridge indicating the CRV safety device activated. Picture: Supplied.

NT WorkSafe have previously alleged that despite clear warning signs on the butane gas canister, none of Little Miss Korea’s safety information provided any advice or instruction to staff on the gas cartridge compartment of the barbecue grill or use of butane gas canisters.

On Tuesday, WorkSafe NT Prosecutors asked the court to allow four of the men to appear via a video link, as during the 18 month gap since the explosion they had left the Territory.

NT WorkSafe lawyer Nicholas Goodfellow said this was a “common” modern court practice to ensure the men could give their testimony.

However defence barrister Luke Officer opposed the application, saying the “crucial” witnesses needed to appear in person.

Mr Officer — who appeared in court via a telephone link — argued that cross examination over a video chat could prove more “difficult”.

He said it was expected the hearing would raise issues about some of the men’s recollections of the night.

Paramedics leave burn treatment packs outside Little Miss Korea after a gas explosion injured five people on Wednesday night, September 7. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“One of the issues that arises on the brief is in respect to what each of the gentlemen were doing when they were using the cooking apparatuses which has some conflicts with another witness who was present on the night,” Mr Officer said.

While Mr Goodfellow argued there was “nothing is lost in the process” of a video link, Mr Officer retorted that there was “nothing compelling” as to why the late-stage application should be approved.

Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris ultimately granted the applications for the video cross-examination, with the hearing expected to begin on April 2.