SYRINGE SCARE
NEEDLES PLANTED IN SUPERMARKET
A pair of amateur body builders hid their steroid syringes in food at a supermarket for shoppers to find.
Matthew Keam and Bradley Scott slipped syringes into a cereal box and orange juice and also left an uncapped needle in a packet of garlic bread. But they could now face 10 years behind bars.
The duo also planted syringes in a pair of boots, in a Christmas tree, among clothes, and between bottles of milk Appearing at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court this week Keam, of Kerry Hill Way in Maidstone, and Scott, of Lyall Way in Gillingham, pleaded guilty to charges of contaminating the food.
The duo confessed to putting the devices in various items at Sainsbury’s in Quarry Wood Industrial Estate, Aylesford, seven times between July and December, 2018.
On most occasions the needles were covered with caps but the one put in garlic bread had the sharp point exposed.
Keam, 24, and Scott, 30, were caught after their discarded paraphernalia was handed to police and DNA testing identified them as the culprits.
Prosecutor Anna Kachingwe said: “Both Mr Scott and Mr Keam attended a body building gym and both injected steroids as part of their training regime. “Mr Scott admitted all seven offences when interviewed by police. He said there was no other reason for them apart from ‘just plain stupidity.’
“He had not targeted Sainsbury’s for any particular reason - it was just near the gym.” Keam confirmed the account given by Scott when he was also interviewed by officers.
Toby Burrough, defending Mr Keam said: “The needles had caps on them, it was not going to hurt anyone.
“The sole intention was they were looking for the shock value - ‘wouldn’t it be funny if someone saw that in there.’
“There was no intention to cause harm or blackmail the store.”
According to Ms Kachingwe, the supermarket chain beefed up its security in response to the prank by hiring more staff and updating their technology to the cost of £54,000.
Because of the seriousness of their offences, Keam and Scott will be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on a date yet to be fixed.