Apprentice ‘hung upside down like a piece of meat about to get cut’ in brutal Christmas work ‘prank’ – World News
Ilyas Elkharraz, 23, has claimed he was hung upside down and slapped during a Christmas party, and is suing the company over alleged repeated abuse
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Apprentice is hung from machine and slapped in cruel work prank
An apprentice has claimed he was тАЬdegraded, humiliated and embarrassedтАЭ by his colleagues after being hung upside and slapped during a Christmas party.
Ilyas Elkharraz, 23, moved from Morocco to Australia to learn to be a carpenter, but said he quit his job over alleged repeated abuse in his work place.
Video footage of the incident shows at least one of the workers slapping Mr Elkharraz, while others can be heard laughing in the background.
“I felt like a piece of meat about to get cut,’ Mr Elkharraz told A Current Affair.
“After a week I started to get flashbacks. I got nightmares from it. It’s like I was a cow, hanging upside down.”
Video footage of the incident shows at least one of the workers slapping Mr Elkharraz, while others can be heard laughing in the background
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Image:
9News)
He is now suing the company, and launched a case with Victoria’s WorkCover.
Mr Elkharraz has also claimed that despite working at the company for three years he was still a first-year apprentice because his boss prevented him from going to college, which is a key requirement of the course.
When he brought it up again, he claimed his boss threatened him with being fired if he took time off for his studies.
Ilyas Elkharraz, 23, moved from Morocco to Australia to learn to be a carpenter
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Image:
9News)
Mr Elkharraz’s lawyer, Tony Carbone, has said his client could have been seriously injured if he continued to hang upside down.
тАЬI’m thinking to myself тАШwow, this still goes onтАЩ,тАЭ he said.
тАЬIf the thing they tied around his legs were to snap or loosen and he hit his head on the ground, now you’re dealing with brain damage or quadriplegia.тАЭ
In response to the video WorkSafe Victoria тАУ a government body which oversees workplace health and safety – confirmed it was investigating the incident.
A company employee has refused to comment during the ongoing court case.
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