Former Belfast Mayor costs council €27k for tomato woman accident

Former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Jim Rodgers, has cost the City Council over €27,000 for injuring a woman dressed as a tomato three years ago.

Rodgers, a UUP councillor, was attending a photo shoot in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens promoting a gourmet food fair in the city in September 2007, when he fell over Lorraine Mallon and struck her in the back of the head with his knee.

All was going to plan for the Mayor as he geared up to jump over the crouching tomato woman for the benefit of photographers until slipped on a patch of damp grass and fell over - resulting in his knee hitting her with full impact on the back of her head.

Mallon claimed in court this week that she suffered a slipped disc in her back and brought a negligence case against the City Council. The case was heard by Justice Stephens at the High Court in Belfast, with the settlement agreed to the tune of £24,021.75 (€27,375.34) plus costs in damages.

Rodgers, who refused to comment after the settlement, said at the time that he regularly kept fit, and that the accident was just “one of those unfortunate things”.