Apprentice hung upside down ‘like a piece of meat’ and slapped by co-workers in savage Christmas party prank

AN apprentice was hung upside down and slapped during a savage Christmas party prank. Ilyas Elkharraz, 23, says he was “degraded, humiliated and embarrassed” in the incident, which was filmed by his colleagues. 9News/A Current AffairIlyas Elkharraz is suing his former employer after he was filmed being hanged upside down[/caption] 9News/A Current AffairThe 23-year-old says he was ‘degraded, humiliated and embarrassed’[/caption] Video shows at least one person slapping Ilyas as others can be heard laughing in the background. “I felt like a piece of meat about to get cut,” he 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.” Ilyas moved to Australia from Morocco and worked at the shop for three years but quit after the abuse last year and has now launched a court case. He also claims he was still a first-year apprentice carpenter because his boss stopped him from going to college, a core requirement of any Australian apprenticeship. Most read in News 'PARTNERS IN CRIME' Maxwell ‘served up young girls for Epstein in pyramid scheme of abuse’ SCHOOL'S NOT OUT Schools WON'T break up early for Christmas amid Omicron fears BABY KILLER Mum's lover murdered girl, 2, after kicking and stamping her to death CLASS ACTION School faces closure as link to Omicron super-strain found amid spread fears HARD LESSONS Pupils face 3 new Covid curbs from TOMORROW amid Omicron fears JINGLE HELLS PM to review Covid rules just DAYS before Christmas sparking lockdown fears Ilyas claimed the business owner threatened he would lose his job if he took time off to study when he raised the issue. Tony Carbone, from Carbone Lawyers, claimed his client could have been critically injured during the cruel prank. “I’m thinking to myself ‘wow, this still goes on’,” he said. “If 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.” WorkSafe Victoria – a government body which oversees workplace health and safety – confirmed it was investigating the incident, which carries heavy financial penalties. A company employee told ACA they wouldn’t be commenting because of the ongoing court case. 9News/A Current AffairHis lawyer said Ilyas could have been left paralysed[/caption] We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours. Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks.