YAMAGUCHI (TR) – A female worker at an elderly nursing home in Shimonoseki City was arrested for allegedly mixing drain cleaner into her colleague’s tea, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Sept. 28).
Yamaguchi Prefectural police arrested Akino Kimoto, 29, a part-time worker of the city’s social welfare council, for allegedly making her 50-year-old female colleague drink the tea she contaminated at around noon on Aug. 28.
Kimoto, who has been accused of assault, admits to the charges, according to police.
The victim immediately spat out the contaminated drink at the scene and visited a hospital after feeling strange, but has not reported having any health problems.
Prior to the incident, there were disagreements between the suspect and the victim over the way services were provided for facility users, according to the council.
Police are also investigating reports from other colleagues and facility users who claimed to have experienced similar problems.
“It’s a little hard to believe that the [detergent] ended up in there by chance,” a representative of the city’s social welfare council told TV Asahi (Sept. 28). “So, unfortunately, we thought we should talk to the police with the suspicion that one of the staff did it.”
