Spanish chef 'seriously injures' and hospitalises pensioner tourist who complained about his food at restaurant in Ibiza

Police claim the pensioner tourist had to have an emergency hospital operation after the chef attacked him. According to the force, the man complained about the chef’s meal who then reacted by pushing him off his chair and then throwing his food on the floor beside him.

The alleged assault happened in a “well-known” restaurant in the holiday resort of Santa Eulalia in Ibiza, one of the Balearic Islands where locals have held anti-tourism protests this year. There is no evidence to suggest the alleged incident is linked to the anti-tourism movement and according to The Express well-placed sources said they suspected the chef, who had not been named, had been “having a bad day.”

The Civil Guard said the pensioner had needed his hospital operation because he had two blood clots in his chest which were making it difficult to breathe. The restaurant where the alleged incident took place has not yet been named.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Mallorca said: “Officers have arrested a chef at a restaurant in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza for a serious assault on a client who was eating there. The victim of the assault was enjoying a meal at the well-known restaurant with his partner and some friends. He apparently informed the waiting staff the meal he was served was not the one he had ordered and the food was off.

“After the message was passed onto the kitchen, the chef approached the table where the 72-year-old German man was eating and started shouting and being very aggressive. Once he reached the client he pushed him hard and made him fall to the floor where he hit the back of a chair, suffering a blow to his back and neck.”

The spokesman added: “While he was on the floor, the alleged aggressor threw the plate of food on the floor right by the client whilst continuing to shout and insult him. The victim and his friends and partner left the premises and went to the nearest local health centre where he was told he had only minor bruising.

“A few days later, when he still felt poorly, he decided to go back and was rapidly transferred to Son Espases Hospital in Palma for an operation, as he had two blood clots in his chest which were making it difficult for him to breathe. The Spanish chef, a 37-year-old, was arrested on suspicion of a crime of serious wounding and handed over to the courts.”