Australian woman accused of spiking her colleague’s curry with poison unmasked

Jean Rosina Hunt, 43, has been charged over allegations that she put poisonous snail pellets in a colleague’s curry at a plant-growing business in Oldbury, south of Perth. The case matters because the chemical involved can cause severe illness and, in serious cases, death; Hunt has not yet entered a plea.

Police allege the colleague brought the curry to work on 12 February to share, and that Hunt later added pellets to the leftovers in the staff lunchroom. The colleague noticed bright green granules and felt numbness after tasting a small amount; tests allegedly found metaldehyde. Hunt appeared in Armadale Magistrates Court on Thursday, was granted continued bail and is due back on 17 December. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.