Perth woman charged after allegedly lacing shared curry with snail pellets

A 43-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly mixing snail pellets into a shared curry lunch at a workplace south of Perth.

Western Australian police said a 58-year-old woman brought a container of curry to share with colleagues in Perth's southern suburbs in February. Employees ate from the container during a morning tea break without issue, police said. The Guardian

After that meal, the 43-year-old allegedly accessed a chemical storage shed and then entered the staff lunch room where the food was kept. Police allege she contaminated the remaining curry with snail pellets containing metaldehyde, which police described as a poisonous substance.

At lunchtime, the woman who had brought the curry found bright green granules in the container when she went to eat more. She tasted a small amount and then felt numbness in her tongue, according to police.

Police allege the accused woman and the woman who brought the curry were in a personal relationship. Detectives arrested the 43-year-old in the week before 15 October. She has been charged with one count of unlawful act or omission with intent to harm endangering the life, health or safety of any person.

She is scheduled to appear before Armadale magistrates court on 5 November. Police declined to provide further information about the relationship or the workplace, which reporting identified as being in Oldbury. The West Australian