Redditch girl's nut allergy death investigation criticised

Hollie-Mai Stokes died after eating nuts in September last year

An investigation into the death of a girl with allergies, who died after eating nuts, has been criticised by her family.

Hollie-Mai Stokes was working at a restaurant in Redditch, Worcestershire, when she ate food containing walnuts brought to the venue by a manager.

After leaving work on 15 September 2022 she later collapsed and died.

West Mercia Police has said it would not be appropriate to comment ahead of a victim right of review.

The 17-year-old - who was studying art at college, working three jobs and learning to drive - had a range of allergies including nuts.

Her family said they were worried about her working in a restaurant, but she had told them she was only taking orders.

"For her whole life she kept to basic foods, her safe foods as she would call them. She knew what she would eat and what she couldn't," said mother Kerrie Stokes.

Kerrie Stokes is calling for a more thorough investigation of her daughter's death

The manager at the time said that she had brought some red bean cakes from home and accepted that they contained walnuts.

She said that she would not normally give her food to English staff, but Hollie had asked to try it.

She knew the worker was vegan, she explained, but had no idea that she had a nut allergy.

The manager no longer works at the Edo restaurant in Redditch, which has a four-star hygiene rating.

The police have concluded their investigation.

An event will be held in memory of Holly Mai

The family are unhappy and planning a justice for Hollie event on Saturday.

Among issues, they say, is that their lawyer had been told that the testing of blood samples was not possible because during post-mortem, they weren't separated immediately.

However, there was sufficient evidence to record a provisional cause of death as anaphylaxis.

"We want it more investigated," Mrs Stokes said, adding that she wanted "people that haven't been formally interviewed to be interviewed".

She also claimed that "other people that have got information that can help haven't even been questioned".

The police said that due to a victim right of review, it would not be appropriate to comment at the moment, but they will do so in due course.