Groom considers suing for 'ruined' wedding

The son of one of WA's top health officials is considering suing a prestigious Perth restaurant after guests at his wedding reception, including his bride, became sick within hours of eating pork.

Christopher Geelhoed, whose father Gary is the State's chief medical officer, said yesterday he was disappointed with the response from Fraser's Function Centre in Kings Park after nine of the 110 guests reported gastroenteritis after the $18,000 reception last October.

_The West Australian _has obtained results of a Health Department investigation which found a statistical link between guests becoming ill and having pork.

However, the report said the specific cause of the outbreak could not be determined because no organisms were found in the one faecal specimen tested and the restaurant had no leftover food that could be tested.

The department had made a detailed inspection of Fraser's and though some procedural issues needed improvement, there was no evidence to determine the cause of the outbreak, nor did the inspection find any specific issues that might have resulted in food becoming contaminated.

The symptoms, onset times and duration of illness in guests were "most consistent with illness due to a toxin produced by a bacterial contaminant", the report said.

But it said the investigation was not conclusive because there was insufficient evidence to determine the cause of the outbreak.

Mr Geelhoed said Fraser's had waived $1150 he still owed and offered to refund the cost of some meals, including those of the wedding party.

But he said it had offered no apology and had distanced itself from the suggestion it was responsible for the guests' illness. Nine months on, the matter was still unresolved and he believed he was entitled to compensation.

He said his wedding night was ruined after his bride Lee started feeling unwell at the reception. She later spent most of the night at their $800 hotel room in the bathroom.

A spokeswoman for Fraser's said the restaurant was in contact with the Geelhoeds and their discussions had been on a strictly "without prejudice" basis.

"We are not in a position to comment to The West Australian as the proper forum for this matter is the court and not the press," she said.