Cleaner ‘spiked office coffee with Viagra’

A CLEANER is on trial charged with spiking her colleagues’ coffee with Viagra and other prescription drugs.

Karen Beale, 62, had worked at Envirograf, a producer of fire safety goods, for seven years when she was allegedly caught lacing Nescafé instant coffee with a foreign substance.

She was filmed at the factory in Dover, Kent, in September 2018 by a hidden camera after a staff member claimed her morning cup of coffee tasted odd.

The drink had blue and white specks in it, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Police were informed and it was later discovered that two coffee jars contained a number of abnormal “ingredients” including Sildenafil, an erectile dysfunction treatment sold under the Viagra brand, as well as a medication for high cholesterol.

“Not what you would expect to be in Nescafé,” said prosecutor Matthew Hodgetts.

The 13-minute film clip was said to have shown Beale wearing blue latex gloves as she picked up a jar of coffee, shook it, and removed the lid before placing it back on a shelf.

“The defendant had already put something in and was checking it was still there,” said Mr Hodgetts.

Another clip showed the night cleaner covering her hand with her sleeve in an attempt to avoid leaving fingerprints, the prosecution said.

Beale, of Winsley, Shropshire, denies the two offences of attempting to administer a poison with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy between July 2017 and September 2018.

The court heard the contaminated coffee jars were found in the offices of Katrina Gravenor, an accountant, and Jean Smith, the company secretary.

Although the chemicals were not toxic or would “necessarily cause problems”, it is alleged Beale, a mother-ofthree, intended harm, Mr Hodgetts said. He told the jury: “She was intending that there would be some effect on those two women by putting it in their coffee. That’s why the prosecution say she was attempting to poison.

“She denies placing or attempting to place any substance into those coffee jars and is possibly going to suggest these allegations against her are malicious in nature.”

The trial continues.