Sacked man poisoned chips

A SALES MANAGER with McCain, the food company, planted rat poison in bags of oven chips for revenge after he was sacked for alcoholism, St Albans Crown Court, Hertfordshire, was told yesterday.

Michael Lloyd, 41, of Holbeach, Lincolnshire, admitted two offences under Section 38 of the Public Order Act of contaminating food and asked for two others to be considered. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service with pounds 275 costs. He had pleaded guilty to the intention to cause economic loss to McCain Foods, but not to intending to injure members of the public.

Paul Brinkworth, for the prosecution, told the court that Lloyd approached staff at Asda, Gateway and Tesco stores in July and August complaining he had found rat poison in bags of McCain Oven Chips. As a result, the stores destroyed the contaminated bags, but were suspicious of Lloyd and did not strip the shelves of the product.