Michelin star restaurateur ‘sent text saying “I don’t think we’ll keep the intern” after running over British chef who had to have both legs amputated – and stood over him for ten minutes without calling an ambulance’

a Dutch A Michelin-starred restaurateur is said to have stood by his British sous chef for 10 minutes before calling an ambulance after running him over twice with his Land Rover while he was drunk.

Nick Bril, 40, owner of The Jane in Antwerp, reportedly stood next to Joe Claridge, 37, who lost his legs and some internal organs after the accident, for ten minutes and eight seconds before sending a text saying: ‘I know not I think we’ll keep the intern.’

The accident is said to have occurred in a private staff car park, just outside the two Michelin star restaurant The Jane, at around 6am on Monday 8 January.

Emergency services were only called after Bril was urged to do so by a second person and when they arrived he did not reveal that he had run over the British man, only saying that he was drunk, the Dutchman said. reports saying they are based on judicial sources.

This was despite the fact that he was holding his phone because he had previously taken a photo of the victim on the ground, the reports said.

Dutch Michelin-star restaurateur Nick Bril (pictured in 2016, file photo) stood by his British sous chef for ten minutes before calling an ambulance after hitting him twice with his Land Rover while drunk – it is reported

Sous chef Joe Claridge (pictured), 37, was seriously injured around 6 a.m. on Monday, January 8, in the parking lot of The Jane, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium.

Het Laatste Nieuws said judicial sources had said the investigation also revealed that Bril even sent some shocking messages after the accident, according to Dutch media, with one saying: ‘I don’t think we will keep Joe as an intern.’

Bril reportedly sent a group WhatsApp, consisting of staff from fine dining restaurant The Jane, the following message: ‘Guys, I just finished with our new intern. Complete KO. An ambulance and the police, everything involved.

“I don’t think we’ll keep Joe as an intern.”

Bril also allegedly told authorities: ‘One glass of wine, then two negronis and two beers. Then I finished with a few shots of tequila with the team. I can’t say how many. I think I could still drive.’

Claridge was also reportedly drunk that evening, as it was a Sunday, when staff traditionally empty open bottles of wine and champagne. The afterparty then continued into the early hours and 6am, with eight more people in attendance.

His colleagues called Claridge a taxi and saw him stagger to the taxi rank in front of the restaurant as he left, but at one point he fell to the ground.

CCTV seen by investigators reportedly revealed what happened next, although it does not show exactly how Claridge fell.

A moment later, Bril appears, closes the door of the restaurant and goes to his Land Rover. At 6:20 a.m., Bril reverses and turns his car around, right where Claridge lies.

He then stops while Claridge lies between the front and rear wheels of the Land Rover, it is reported.

Bril then drives forward and runs over the victim a second time with the same wheel, after which he drives a short distance before stopping the car.

The chef then reportedly got out and walked towards Claridge, with the footage showing the latter still moving on the ground.

Bril said he tried to wake him up “but it didn’t work and I panicked.”

Bril reportedly sent a group WhatsApp consisting of staff from fine dining restaurant The Jane (pictured in 2015, file photo) the following message: ‘Guys, I just finished with our new intern. Complete KO. An ambulance and the police, everything involved

The Land Rover reportedly owned by Bril is being towed by authorities for investigation after the January accident

At 6:29 a.m., a jogger showed up and spoke to Bril, wondering why an ambulance hadn’t been called. The jogger told local media that Bril said: “I have a new phone and I can’t use it properly yet.”

The jogger then walked to the reception of a nearby hotel and asked them to call emergency services.

Bril does not mention the accident and instead portrays Claridge as a drunken man lying unconscious in the street.

Bril takes another photo of Claridge before calling emergency services as the jogger walks back from the hotel, exactly 10 minutes and 8 seconds after he saw Claridge lying on the ground behind his vehicle, according to local media.

He reportedly tells them there is a drunk man on the street, but again he doesn’t talk about running him over.

The ambulance arrived 10 minutes later, and Bril still did not tell them that he had run over Claridge with his Land Rover.

The medics placed Claridge on a stretcher and began treating him in the ambulance.

They then noticed that Claridge was seriously injured and called the police.

Meanwhile, Bril is sitting in his car with the engine ready to drive away, with only the ambulance blocking his way.

However, the police analyzed him with 1.67 alcohol per millimeter in his blood. The legal limit in the Netherlands is 0.5 per millimeter.

After the accident, Claridge’s mother immediately traveled to the Netherlands to care for her son in hospital until he emerged from a coma 50 days later.

Claridge reportedly lost several organs and both of his legs had to be amputated.

According to reports, he is still in hospital and faces a long rehabilitation.

Bril is not only suspected of drunk driving and the accident itself, the investigating judge is also investigating whether he committed negligence by not immediately providing assistance.

One of the medics who attended to Claridge told authorities they were angry with Bril, adding: ‘I felt very sorry that he wasn’t honest with us. This could have had serious consequences for the victim.’

They added: ‘If Bril had said that the man had been hit, we would have acted differently. Then we wouldn’t have put him in the ambulance straight away.’

Dutch chef Nick Bril poses for the photographer during the presentation of the 2023 edition of the French gastronomic guide ‘Gault et Millau’ for the Benelux

In the aftermath of the incident, police cars were seen at the scene in January, where prosecutors are believed to be dealing with an accident

Omar Souidi, Nick Bril’s lawyer, told local media: ‘I cannot reach my client, Mr Nick Bril, at the moment. Looking at his social media, I suspect he is currently still abroad (in a different time zone).”

He added: ‘I note that journalists today seem to have quicker access to a secret investigation than the parties directly involved.

‘If this is the case, it is shocking and a manifest violation of, among other things, Nick Bril’s rights of defense and the right to a fair trial.

‘Nick Bril also has his rights. I will advise him to claim them in full.’

When asked for comment, the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office told local media that the investigation is still ongoing and that communication about it is not yet an option.