Lewis Main, 36, admitted attempting to maliciously administer poison to his stepfather at the family home in Alderney when he appeared in the Royal Court.
Advocate Phoebe Cobb, prosecuting, told the court that Main’s mother had attended the island’s hospital one morning in November 2024, saying that she thought she had drunk coffee which might have had rat poison in it.
In answer to a question posed by the jurats during the hearing, Advocate Samuel Steel, defending, said that Main’s mother had not actually drunk the coffee but only smelled it, and then went to the hospital over concerns for her son’s mental health.
However, Advocate Cobb said that Main’s guilty plea had been accepted on the basis that his mother had drunk it.
Tests were carried out on her at the hospital but nothing of significance was found. She had with her the jar of coffee and her mug and after the police were called these were examined.
Blue pellets were found in both the coffee and in the mug, and testing found these pellets to contain a chemical used in rat poison.
On searching Main’s room at his home, a packet of rat poison sachets was found behind his TV, including an empty pouch.
At interview, Main told police that he had poisoned the coffee in response to bleach allegedly being put into his dog’s water.
He had written a note which he placed next to the poisoned coffee with words to the effect of ‘stop your games, freak’ but said he had not expected anyone to drink the beverage.
Messages on Main’s mobile phone indicated a strong dislike of his stepfather.
He told police that the relationship had deteriorated and he believed his stepfather did not want him living in the house any longer.
The court heard that after Main’s arrest neither his stepfather nor his mother wanted to see him prosecuted, but Advocate Cobb said the decision was taken to bring the matter to court owing to the severity of Main’s actions. His stepfather had said that Main had once saved his life, when he had sepsis.
Advocate Steel said Main would not have been in court had he not made full and frank admissions to the police.
He was embarrassed, ashamed and remorseful and had written a letter to the court in which he reflected on his actions and their impact.
He had been suffering a mental health crisis at the time, linked to PTSD, which he had experienced since a life-threatening boating incident, the advocate said.
There had been acute stress in his life, including financial collapse, potential bankruptcy and an unstable home dynamic.
But things had improved a lot in the 16 months since the incident and after Main had moved out of the house.
He had a stable relationship with his partner, who was expecting their child in a few months’ time, and was receiving mental health help.
Lt-Bailiff Russell Finch said that the situation could have had some very nasty consequences but the court was passing sentence on the basis that Main had made the poisoning attempt in order to annoy his stepfather rather than injure him, and therefore had concluded that immediate custody was not called for in the circumstances.
Main was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.
‘The next time you come in contact with rat poison, leave it to the rats,’ said the judge.