A German man was convicted of attempted murder after poisoning baby food on supermarket shelves. The unnamed man sent emails to the supermarkets threatening to poison food unless they paid him €10 million ($17.5 million NZD).
The man poisoned five jars of baby food around supermarkets in Friedrichshafen, Germany, before alerting anyone to the crime. A nationwide alert was sent out to supermarkets, and safety checks quickly uncovered the poisoned products. Officials found they contained ethylene glycol, a compound used in anti-freeze.
DNA and surveillance evidence led police to the culprit, who claimed he had borderline personality disorder and was under the influence of alcohol and painkillers at the time of the crime. A court psychiatrist determined he was well enough to be held responsible.
He has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
