Family sues Starbucks over syringe incident

Coffee chain Starbucks is being sued by a family who claim a ten-month-old baby stabbed herself in the mouth with a used syringe.

Mother Kelly Shipley and grandmother Linda, of then ten-month-old Keeley, are taking Starbucks to court over the incident.

Keeley's grandmother claims she also was pricked by the needle as she tried to get it from the baby's grasp.

She and Keeley both had to have injections and wait six months to find out if they were clear of any diseases.

The 52-year-old grandmother said: "Starbucks told us it wasn't their responsibility as the shop was cleaned regularly. But that's not accurate because I lifted up the armchair cushion and underneath found food debris - it obviously hadn't been cleaned for a while."

A spokesperson for Starbucks acknowledged the incident - which occurred in the Bull Ring shopping centre in Birmingham - and said first-aid was offered.

Starbucks has more than 15,000 retail locations throughout the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, North and Latin America and Europe.