Turkey deliveryman risks 18 years in jail for spitting on pizza

ISTANBUL

A Turkish prosecutor has called for a sentence of up to 18 years for a deliveryman who was caught spitting on a customer’s pizza before handing it over to the customer in the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir.

The case was opened after an apartment building owner watching the security camera footage noticed the incident on Dec. 24, 2017. The owner alerted the customer, who was a resident of the same building.

The footage showed the deliveryman, identified as Burak S., spitting on the pizza and recording the moment on his mobile phone.

The defendant has already been fined 4,000 Turkish Liras ($675) for endangering a customer’s health. Prosecutors are now seeking prison sentences from two years to 15 years for “endangering life by poisoning food,” and from four months to three years for property damage.

The hearing was closed after the defendant’s lawyers demanded extra time to prepare a plea.