Nanny jailed over Ann Summers boss poisoning - Reuters UK

LONDON | Fri Mar 4, 2011 3:58pm GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The former nanny of Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold was jailed for 12 months on Friday after admitting attempting to poison the lingerie tycoon with car screenwash.

Allison Cox, 33, who was hired by Gold to look after her daughter Scarlett at her mansion in Surrey laced two bowls of asparagus soup with the toxic substance in an attempt to get the chef who had prepared it into trouble.

Cox, who also put sugar and salt in Gold's meals on two other occasions, had demonstrated "calculated and deceitful behaviour" said Judge Christopher Critchlow at Guildford Crown Court.

He also said she had breached the trust of her employer who had entrusted her to look after her only child, whose twin had died eight months earlier, the Press Association reported.

"You say you hated that other employee and you had no intention of harming your employer," the judge said. "But you had no idea whether or not that screen wash would cause harm to her or what the effect would be."

The court heard that Gold had been "devastated" when Cox handed in her notice last September due to her problems getting on with chef, Patricia Edwards.

A few days later, Gold ate a meal prepared by Edwards but found it inedible, describing it as tasting like it had a whole jar of salt in it.

In October, Gold also found another meal to be uneatable, this time because it had too much sugar in it which worried her as she was not meant to have any sugar in her diet for medical reasons.

The court heard how Cox dropped off Gold's lunch of soup which was later heated up for her.

"Ms Gold took one mouthful, and in her words, instantly knew there was a chemical in her soup and was very strong," said prosecutor Rachel Davies.

She later confronted Cox who at first denied she knew anything about it but when pressed, Cox admitted administering the substances to Gold's food on three occasions because she "hated Pat (Patricia Edwards)."

When arrested, she admitted what she had done to police, but added: "I didn't mean to poison her, I just thought it would smell funny or taste funny and ruin her lunch."

Davies said the screen wash contained a number of chemicals, which could have "serious toxic side-effects if ingested."

Cox, who was immediately fired, has since written two emails to Gold apologising and expressing regret for what she had done, the court heard.

Defence lawyer Tim Leete said the offence was not premeditated as Cox had not known she would be asked to take the soup to Gold, and it "was simply something that she happened to have in her car that day."

The judge said it was unlikely that the mother-of-one would ever find work as a nanny again.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Stefano Ambrogi)