A child sex offender tried to kill himself by scoffing a poisoned Snickers bar while he was being convicted.
The paedophile had been found guilty by a jury at Warrnambool County Court in Victoria, Australia, of molesting an underage girl.
As his fate was being read out he pulled the chocolate bar out of his pocket and began chowing down.
READ MORE: Baby loses five fingers in savage pitbull puppy attack while mum goes for ‘quick shower’
Security personnel present told the man, thought to be in his seventies, to stop and said he wasn’t allowed to eat in the courtroom.
But the crook managed to finish the sweet.
Warrnambool Standard crime reporter Andrew Thomson wrote: “He then told the custody staff he had poisoned himself as he had laced the chocolate bar with rat poison.”
He was remanded in custody where he collapsed and broke a finger.
The offender, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was then rushed to an intensive care unit where he was treated for poisoning, according to the Warrnambool Standard reported.
It is thought the man didn’t ingest enough poison to be fatal and he has since been deemed healthy enough to return to the Warrnambool police station cells.
The criminal was found guilty of four counts in total – two of sexual penetration of a child aged under 16 years and two of committing an indecent act with a child aged under 16 years.
Prosecutors said the man had abused his partner’s young daughter for nearly a decade between the years 1991 and 2000, when she was aged four to 14.
He is expected to remain in custody until a preliminary sentence hearing, scheduled for September 11.
Studies have shown child sex offenders are more likely to attempt suicide than convicts of other crimes.
Research carried out by the NHS in 2021 found that “child sex offenders, and more specifically indecent imagery of children perpetrators, are dying by suicide at an alarming rate.”
One potential cause of this is the mental health of offenders can be “influenced by the experience of shame and high levels of burdensomeness felt on public exposure.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
