2012: EX-LOVER IN POISON BID JAILED
A “JEALOUS and obsessive” Dudley man who tried to poison his ex-girlfriend by putting crushed paracetamol tablets into her sugar bowl has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.Maryanne Stanton was also bombarded with abusive and threatening messages from Craig Guest, who knew she was allergic to the drug.
But her suspicions were aroused when she returned to her Warrens Hall Road home with friends and found surfaces coated with a white powder.
She then found bits of uncrushed tablet in the sugar bowl, said Stuart Clarkson prosecuting.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard 28-year-old Guest had also badly damaged her clothes and had scrawled messages on the walls of her home.
Mr Clarkson informed the court how Guest had also harassed his former wife Tracy, who was left in a state of considerable distress after he bombarded her with more than 150 messages.
In one message, he told her: “Drop dead and get into your coffin.
I want to see you lying in the Chapel of Rest.” The court heard how he said he would kill himself if he could not keep her and, while some messages professed love, many others were highly vitriolic and very unpleasant.
There were 159 messages left on her phone, said Mr Clarkson and they progressively became more distressing with Guest saying: “I will do 25 years for you” as he threatened to petrol bomb her home.
Judge Jonathan Gosling said Guest was “selfish and controlling” and added: “For the last four years you have ruined the lives of the two women who were unfortunate enough to befriend you.” He also described his actions as “cowardly, offensive and despicable.” Guest, now of no fixed address, admitted attempting to administer poison, two charges of putting a woman in fear of violence by harassment and criminal damage.
Simon Hanns defending said Guest accepted the language in some of his messages had been messy and stressed he had put only two tablets into the sugar bowl.
He said: “It was a strange thing to do and he is well aware his behaviour merits custody.” The judge further made two restraining orders forbidding Guest from having any contact at all with his two former partners.
