Janice R. Andrews
England’s Canterbury Unexpectedly, a jury at Canterbury Crown Court cleared 62-year-old former factory cleaner Karen Beale of all counts related to contaminating her coworkers’ instant coffee with crushed Viagra pills.
Beale, who was described as someone who “wanted to help people, not harm,” was found not guilty of two charges pertaining to trying to poison or inject another harmful chemical with the intention of hurting, enrage, or upsetting someone between November 2017 and September 2018.
Beale claimed she was “set up” after being caught on camera inspecting a jar of Nescafé Blend 37 coffee, which was later discovered to be spiked with sildenafil (Viagra) and a prescription for high cholesterol. Beale had previously worked at Envirograf, a plant near Dover that produced fire prevention equipment.
Beale acknowledged throughout the trial that she had examined the coffee jar “under instruction” from Paul Ackerman-Mond, Envirograf’s general manager. She stated that she had no reason to tamper with the coffee and repeatedly denied doing so.
The 13-minute hidden camera video showed Beale inspecting the jar while donning blue latex gloves. Despite the fact that the chemicals were not dangerous, the prosecution contended that Beale “hoped and intended it would have some effect.” Her defence team did point out that the video did not show how the impurities got into the coffee.
Following the trial, Judge Simon Taylor KC ruled that the implicated coffee would be forfeited and destroyed. After being taken into custody in September 2018, Beale thanked the jurors as she was led from the dock.
The Covid-19 pandemic’s difficulties were one among the reasons for the considerable delay in getting the case to trial, as the court noted. Judge Taylor had expressed regret to Beale for the prolonged wait during a pre-trial hearing in December of the previous year.
Beale, who currently lives in Shropshire but was born in Dover, had been a therapist in the past. The court was given a character reference that characterised her as someone with “integrity and compassion” who aimed to “help people, not harm.”
Beale’s defence team claimed that the camera footage was unclear about how the drugs got into the coffee, so doubts regarding the strange contamination of the coffee jar still persist even after Beale was found not guilty.
After a protracted legal proceeding, this matter has now concluded with Beale’s release and the judge’s order to forfeit and destroy the coffee that was involved.
