Men hid needles and syringes in supermarket garlic bread for ‘prank’
Written by News on 05/11/2019
Two men have been jailed for hiding needles and syringes in garlic bread, an orange juice bottle, a cereal box and Christmas decorations as part of a prank.
Bradley Scott, 30, and Matthew Keam, 24, repeatedly placed the dangerous objects in a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Aylesford, Kent, over five months.
The needles and syringes were discovered by employees and shoppers either protruding from or contained within the items.
Police said there was “clearly potential for serious injury to anyone who may have had the misfortune of finding these items” during the pranking spree.
DNA tests from the sharp objects identified both Scott, from Gillingham, and Keam, of Maidstone, who were friends from a gym near the supermarket.
The men, who carried out seven separate incidents at the store in the Quarry Wood industrial estate, had used the needles for steroid use, as part of a training regime.
Scott admitted responsibility during a police interview, saying the reason they put them in the objects was just “plain stupidity”.
He added they had chosen the store, which was targeted between 19 July and 6 December 2018, simply because it was close to the gym.
They were charged with an offence of contamination of or interference with goods, with intention of causing public alarm.
Both pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and were sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Detective Constable Barrie Prowse said: “These offences would no doubt would have caused considerable distress, anxiety and revulsion among shoppers and staff, alike.
“While the needles repeatedly placed in items were found to be capped, there was clearly potential for serious injury to anyone who may have had the misfortune of finding these items.
“Both Scott and Keam have shown genuine remorse for their reckless behaviour.
“However protection of the general public and the safety of any food supply chain are of paramount importance, leaving the courts with little choice but to impose custodial sentences.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Men hid needles and syringes in supermarket garlic bread for ‘prank’
