Gay man who tried to poison lesbian neighbours with slug pellets over three-legged cat feud walks free

Gary Stewart leaves Minshall St Crown Court after being sentenced for attempting to poison his lesbian neighbours

A gay man who attempted to poison his lesbian neighbours by pouring slug pellets into their curry after they accused him of kidnapping their three-legged cat has walked free from court.

Gary Stewart, 37, had fallen out with his neighbours, Ann Marie Walton, 38, and Beverley Sales, 36.

But in an apparent bid to restore cordial relations with the pair he offered them a curry from a local Indian takeaway.

When the couple went to eat the meal they found the curry sauce was laced with dozens of tiny blue slug pellets.

Afterwards Stewart said he had done it after he had found the tyres to his car had been slashed with a knife.

He texted a friend saying: 'It was them next door, the f******* fat lesbians, I'm glad I've poisoned them and yes it was slug pellets.'

He was sentenced to a six month suspended jail sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester after pleading guilty to attempting to poison the two women on September 22 last year.

The court was told Mr Stewart, who is HIV positive, was devastated after his partner Paul Kleisier, 43, died of an Aids related illness last summer.

He had previously got on well with his neighbours in Denton, Manchester, Miss Sales, an HGV driver, and Miss Walton, a full-time mother, but fell out with them last year after a series of petty arguments

Then last summer they were involved in a furious row after Stewart told the council they were neglecting their eight-year-old son, Jack, and social workers were called to carry out an investigation.

After that Stewart is alleged to have kidnapped the family's three-legged cat, Amber, and dumped her in a village miles away.

Beverley Sales (left) and Ann Marie Walton called police when they found blue pellets in the curry

The cat was eventually found after posters showing a photograph of her led to her discovery at the home of a woman who had taken her in about three miles away.

On September 22 Stewart called Miss Walton and offered her a takeaway curry as a peace offering.

He claimed he had been given the curry by a friend but claimed he was going out for the evening and was unable to eat it all.

Miss Walton said she would collect the curry but fell asleep, so Stewart brought it round to the house and handed it to Miss Sales, telling her to ensure she shared some of the meal with Miss Walton.

Robert Smith, prosecuting, said: 'Both examined the curry later that evening and noticed it had a chemical smell. On closer inspection it looked as though there were blue pellets in it.'

The police were called and tests found the curry had been laced with toxic metaldehyde slug pellets.

Slug pellets are poisonous and can be extremely dangerous to animals and children.

The chemical is classed as 'moderately hazardous' by the World Health Organisation and would not normally kill an adult.

But last year vets had to destroy more than a dozen dogs and scores of cats after they ingested the pellets.

There have been no known deaths of children or adults from eating slug pellets.

Philip Barnes, defending, said: 'He does not offer any excuse for his behaviour. The defendant was given the food in question as a thank you but brought the curry round, because of his own illness he was unable to eat it.

'This can be seen as an act of thoughtlessness and stupidity by a man troubled by his own grief.'

Sentencing him, Judge Jonathan Foster QC said: 'This was a mean offence. I fail to understand precisely what you thought you were doing.

'In any event I am prepared to accept that you realized you would not cause any serious harm even if this food was consumed.'

Detective Constable Graham Masheter, of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'What Stewart did was premeditated and totally shocking.

'He has known the victims for several years and for no apparent reason has decided to try and inflict the misery he felt in his own life on them.

'Had either woman eaten the curry they would have become quite ill - thankfully they noticed and contacted police.'