In brief
In February, a 58‑year‑old employee in Western Australia discovered bright green pellets in a colleague’s curry and a numb tongue. Police say a 43‑year‑old woman, the alleged victim’s partner, allegedly stole a chemical from a storage shed and slipped the toxic pellets into the dish. The accused now faces a court hearing on 5 November for endangering another person’s life, health or safety.
Police in Western Australia say a 58‑year‑old employee discovered bright green needle‑like granules in a coworker’s curry and felt a numbness on her tongue. She immediately alerted fellow staff and later handed the dish to authorities.
Investigators allege that a 43‑year‑old woman, who was in a relationship with the victim, had visited a chemical storage shed months earlier. She is accused of retrieving metaldehyde‑laden snail pellets from the shed and adding them to the curry before it returned to the staffroom.
Metaldehyde is a toxic pesticide that can cause serious injury or death if ingested. The accused now faces a charge of endangering the life, health or safety of another person and will appear in court on 5 November.
Commissioner Col Blanch, citing the police investigation, expressed gratitude that the employee had sensed something was wrong with the meal, preventing a potentially fatal incident.
