A High Court in Zimbabwe has awarded a man in Harare the equivalent of 410 dollars in damages for the depression he suffered after finding a used female contraceptive in his bottle of beer. The man, Charles Maraura, is said to have opened a bottle of beer, and after taking a sip noticed an unusual odour. When he took a second look at the bottle, he noticed a floating object which he later identified as a diaphragm used by women as contraceptives. When forensic tests were carried out, the presence of animal epithelial cells was established making it highly likely that the device had been used. According to Mavauva, he became ill and was treated in hospital after the incident. He told the court that he suffered nervous shock. The judge, Michael Gillespie, accepted that Marauva suffered continuous bouts of depression and anxiety as a result of his experience. National Breweries, the makers of the beer acused Marauva of lying but the judge said he has toured the brewery’s bottle cleaning process and found that the company had failed to ensure that all foreign objects are removed in the process. The company has appealed to the supreme court.
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