2-year-old boy rushed to hospital after restaurant served him WHISKY as fruit juice!

Sonny Rees

A two-year-old toddler was rushed to hospital after being given a large measure of WHISKY by bungling staff at a restaurant.

Little Sonny Rees drank the 40% proof spirit – which he thought was fruit juice - at his second birthday party in Frankie & Benny’s Swansea branch.

He started pulling strange faces and wriggling in his chair - then his parents smelt the whiff of booze in his glass. Sonny was taken to A&E where he was kept under observation.


Sonny’s 34-year-old mum Nina Rees said the incident at their local branch of restaurant chain Frankie and Benny’s had wrecked her son’s birthday celebrations.

Mrs. Rees said: “We went to the restaurant just after midday, and I had ordered him lime juice and water, his favourite.

All had started well enough. Sonny was given a toy car by staff, and the family were eating their meals when they noticed the boy was pulling a strange face every time he swallowed what was supposed to be lime juice with water.

Mrs Rees, a teacher, said: ‘When I took a sip it was the unmistakable taste of whisky. No wonder he was pulling a face. I was panicking because he’d drunk quite a lot and I’d been encouraging him. Sonny had taken about ten sips – he was obviously intoxicated.

‘I asked to see the manager and said, “Have you given my child whisky?” She said, “Of course not”, but then she tried it and she knew there had been a horrible mistake.’ She said the manager apologised and offered to get some water. However, Mrs Rees telephoned NHS Direct which told her to get her son medical attention.

She said: ‘They checked him over in the hospital and they could see he was a bit drunk. But he’s two so he jabbers all the time anyway.

‘The doctor reassured me that alcohol passes quickly through the system and he would be fine. It’s a good job it wasn’t something sweet like peach schnapps because he might have liked that and guzzled the lot.’

Mrs Rees and her husband Howell, an IT manager with South Wales Police, then took their only child home to Pontarddulais, near Swansea, where he vomited but has since recovered.

The family was given a 50% discount on their meal bill. Mrs Rees said: ‘I’m very disappointed with Frankie and Benny’s – they ruined our day. We spent most of Sonny’s birthday in hospital with him.’

It is believed Frankie and Benny’s was also hosting a stag do and staff mixed up Sonny’s drink with a whisky and water ordered by one of that group. A spokesman said: ‘The company is incredibly sorry. It was a human error and we are putting measures in place to ensure it never happens again.’