Italian office worker, 53, is jailed for four years after spiking her colleague’s cappuccino with a tranquilliser for NINE MONTHS in the hopes her drowsiness would get her sacked
- Mariangela Cerrato, 53, slipped Benzodiazepine into her colleague’s coffee
- She’d heard rumour of lay-offs at their office in Bra, Piedmont
- Her victim realised something was wrong when she drove into tree after work
- She later kept a sample of cappuccino which was tested and police were called
An Italian office worker who spiked a colleague’s cappuccino with a tranquilliser for nine months in the hopes her drowsiness would get her sacked has been jailed for four years.
Mariangela Cerrato, 53, slipped Benzodiazepine powder into the unnamed co-worker’s coffee when doing the daily coffee run at their insurance company in Bra, Piedmont.
Cerrato had heard a rumour that there were going to be staff cuts and so she targeted the unnamed woman because she did a similar job to hers with the drug, marketed variously as Valium or Xanax.
The victim realised something was seriously wrong when she drove into a tree on her way back from work, although doctors could find nothing at first.
Mariangela Cerrato, 53, slipped Benzodiazepine powder into her unnamed co-worker’s coffee for nine months when doing the daily coffee run at their insurance company in Bra, Piedmont (stock image)
‘The drug induces fatigue, headaches, dizziness and muscular pain and my client’s work rate slowed after she drank the cappuccinos,’ Cristiano Burdese, lawyer for the victim told La Stampa newspaper.
The woman suspected her coffee was to blame after a period off work when she suffered no symptoms.
Upon her return to the office, her suspicions grew stronger when Cerrato urged her to have a coffee.
‘Come on, I will bring you a cappuccino, what harm can it do you?’ Cerrato was said to have told the victim.
She finally accepted Cerrato’s offer but kept a sample of the cappuccino which was later tested and found to contain an ‘extremely high’ dose of Benzodiazepine.
The police were alerted who went on to secretly film Cerrato buying coffees for her colleagues and unloading a powder into the victim’s cup.
Cerrato continues to deny that she spiked her colleague’s drink and is appealing the conviction.
‘Our client is extremely worried by this serious sentence,’ her lawyer, Alberto Pantosti, said. ‘She has always denied the accusation and cannot understand how this absurd story is ruining her life.’
At the trial, Cerrato’s former manager told the court that her belief that she might be laid off was misplaced and that at the time in 2017, the company was actually on a recruitment drive.