A Frenchman, who poisoned a housemate by putting bleach and insecticide in his drinks after rows over the time he spent cooking, has been jailed for six months.
Leeds Crown Court heard Julien Alexandre Randoulet laced an open carton of orange juice belonging to Michael Stamp with some bleach and put insecticide in his milk before returning them to the fridge at the address they shared with another man in Huddersfield.
Susan Evans, prosecuting, said by that time in January last year they were no longer speaking to each other after previous disputes about the cost of heating and other household bills at the property in Prince Street, Primrose Hill.
On the morning of January 10 Mr Stamp got up and drank some of the orange juice straight from the carton and immediately felt a burning sensation in his throat and could smell bleach.
He took the carton to a pharmacist and then went to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where he was told to drink water and milk. He was kept under observation in the hospital for three hours before he was released without long term effects.
Miss Evans said Mr Stamp also drank some of the milk unaware of anything in it at that time.
Randoulet was arrested and denied responsibility for the bleach saying he knew the effects it could cause.
He was bailed while forensic tests were carried out on the remaining orange juice but on January 13 he contacted the police and owned up to what he had done with the bleach.
He also admitted doctoring the milk with some insecticide and having damaged a back light to Mr Stamp’s Ford Fiesta car, saying he was sorry.
Anastasis Tassou, representing Randoulet, an IT worker, said he had moved to Yorkshire from London in August 2014 for a new job. He had no friends and felt isolated.
He had told a probation officer he had previously been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and suffering depression his problems began to reoccur and he began drinking heavily.
Mr Tassou said Randoulet’s housemate complained about the time he spent cooking and in the kitchen and would switch off appliances when he was using them. He also insisted he pay more money towards household bills.
He felt this was “psychological torture” and wanted to be left alone. He began staying longer at work because he did not have anywhere else to go. His health deteriorated and he felt “sick to his stomach.”
Mr Tassou said Randoulet’s actions with the orange juice and milk were “intended to visit some of that back on the complainant, to give him an upset stomach, to annoy rather than cause serious injury.”
He said analysis of the orange juice could not tell the strength of the bleach used “but it must have been very minor” given what happened and the milk had apparently caused no ill effects at all.
Randoulet had now returned to London and resumed work there instead.
Randoulet, 35, recently of Harleston Close, Hackney, admitted two charges of administering a poison or noxious substance and damaging the car.
Judge Tom Bayliss QC said there had to be an immediate jail term as even a layman could understand the potential catastrophic effects of chemicals such as bleach and Randoulet had taken the risk of causing serious harm.
“This was a calculated decision on your part,” he said.
