A WOMAN poisoned her step-brother's Coca Cola bottle out of spiteful 'revenge' after a petty row over him watching television.
Victim Jonathan Deacon had to be rushed to hospital after he collapsed from drinking the spiked two-litre bottle which had been filled with banned substance clonazolam.
After ambulance crews rushed to the scene the poisoner Moka Busby, of Carriage Crescent, Witney, told her victim's mother "you're going to hate me but I put something in his drink to make him go to sleep".
21-year old Busby had already admitted unlawfully and maliciously causing to be administered a poison and unlawfully possessing said poison - class C drug clonazolam.
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The drug, Oxford Crown Court heard at her sentencing hearing yesterday, is 'highly potent' in low doses and can cause loss of co-ordination, amnesia and drowsiness.
Outlining events at the hearing prosecutor Cathy Olliver said that at the time of the poisoning on December 14, 2017, Busby had been living at an address in Witney together with her father, step-mother and step-brother - victim Mr Deacon.
The day before the incident, the court heard, Busby and Mr Deacon had got into a "spat" when the latter continued to watch television in the living room despite Busby wanting to sleep on the sofa.
Busby became "visibly angry" the court heard and had a "tantrum."
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The following day Mr Deacon left the house to go Christmas shopping and while he was out Busby took it upon herself to spike a two litre bottle of Coca Cola with clonazolam, in what was described as an act of "revenge".
That bottle was known as "his bottle" the court heard, and he was known to regularly drink from it.
On his return Busby watched as Mr Deacon - who was already on separate medication - took a number of sips from it, before later going outside to clear ice.
He soon became unsteady on his feet and began to 'feel drunk' with his skin clamming up, the court heard, before collapsing, prompting the family to call for an ambulance.
It was then that Busby confessed to what she had done and owned up to spiking the drink, despite shortly before taking the bottle of Coca Cola to the recycling bin.
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She went on to show paramedics the blue bottle which contained the drug and a number of Coca Cola bottles were later taken for testing.
Mr Deacon was rushed to hospital and was released that night with no serious after-effects, and Busby was arrested by police.
At interview, the court heard, she claimed that she could remember very little and had suffered 'hallucinations' that day as well as memory loss, but later admitted the offences at court.
In mitigation at the hearing yesterday her defence barrister Lyall Thompson said that his client - who he said has an "interest in chemistry" - was motivated to tackle her offending.
He added that Busby "does not present a risk to the public" and that any jail term could impact on her future career prospects.
Sentencing, Judge Peter Ross said: "[It was] A terribly minor issue as to him not going to bed in time for you to be allowed to go to sleep on the sofa in the living room.
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"You decided to exact a form of revenge upon him.
"You spiked that bottle of his Coca Cola, that you knew was his bottle, and you knew he would drink from it periodically.
"It was something that you pre-meditated, you must have sat there with that bottle knowing what you had done and awaiting their return and the inevitable action of Mr Deacon of drinking from that bottle.
"So there was a period of time when you were well aware of the degree of the risk that you were causing him and you sat there and waited for him to return.
"If he had slipped outside, smashed his head on the pavement, if he had slipped on a wall or sharp object you would be facing a much more serious charge.
"It was a complete gamble."
He said that the offence was so serious it had be marked with an immediate jail term and despite pleas from her defence barrister for a community punishment, Busby was jailed for a total of 15 months.
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