E.coli guilty plea 'long overdue'

Five-year-old Mason Jones died from E.coli poisoning

A mother whose son died in an E.coli outbreak which affected over 150 people has welcomed a butcher's guilty pleas.

Sharon Mills said the guilty plea was "long overdue" and she missed her son Mason Jones, five, "more each day".

William Tudor, of Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, had earlier admitted at Cardiff Crown Court six counts of placing unsafe food on the market.

He has now also admitted failing to protect food from risk of contamination at John Tudor & Son of Bridgend.

Mason, from Deri near Bargoed, Rhymney Valley, died in 2005 at the height of the food poisoning outbreak. A total of 158 people, mostly school children, became ill in the food poisoning outbreak.

Speaking outside the court after the hearing, Ms Mills, 32, said: "We will never come to terms with what happened to Mason".

We want to find out in great detail how this terrible outbreak happened Sharon Mills, mother of Mason Jones

"At long last William Tudor has accepted responsibility for causing the E.coli outbreak in 2005.

"William Tudor's guilty plea is long overdue in our opinion and we look forward to him being sentenced."

She said she would "never fully get justice for Mason" but this was "a small step towards it".

"We now look ahead to a public inquiry into the outbreak and hope this can proceed as quickly as possible," she added.

"We want to find out in great detail how this terrible outbreak happened and what can be done to minimise the risk of this happening again."

Contaminated meat

In court, Judge Neil Bidder QC told Tudor not to read anything into the fact he was releasing him on bail until sentencing on 7 September.

"This is a case where all options, including custodial options, are open," he said.

William Tudor has admitted seven charges after the outbreak

Tudor faces an unlimited fine and up to two years in prison - which would be the maximum for the offences.

The charges against Tudor relate to deliveries of Welsh lamb and turkey to schools on two days in September 2005.

One of the charges involved supplying contaminated meat to Deri primary school in Bargoed, Rhymney Valley, where Mason was a pupil.

The other schools involved were Hendre Junior, Oaklands Primary, Glantaff Infants, Ton Pentre Junior and Newtown Primary.

The prosecution was brought against Tudor by three local authorities: Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.

A public inquiry is also being held into the E.coli outbreak, chaired by food expert Professor Hugh Pennington.