BY ISABEL EVERETT
|
A Central Coast man has been convicted and fined $48,000 after an autistic man drank a highly toxic weedkiller stored in a Coca-Cola bottle, which was left in a disabled toilet. Mr Warwick Ronald McInnes was prosecuted by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) after the 22-year-old autistic man accidently drank the poison, Paraquat, and spent 18 days in hospital critically ill.
Mr McInnes left the poison in a disabled toilet at a sports field at Mangrove Mountain, in August 2017. Her Honour Justice Duggan said the
manner of storage of the poison in a drink bottle was a “gravely serious
breach” of the Pesticides Act undertaken “without any real regard for the
obligations” of safe poison storage, and that the injury to the victim was
significant. EPA Director Regulatory
Operations Adam Gilligan said the case highlighted the vital importance of
vigilance and care, when dealing with dangerous chemicals. “A young man very nearly
died. Rules for the safe storage and use of pesticides and other poisons are
in place to protect the community and the environment. Any disregard for the
regulations can have very serious consequences, as we saw in this terrible
case. “It is absolutely vital
that dangerous chemicals are stored safely and securely, well out of harm’s
way.” Mr McInnes has been fined $48,000 (out of a maximum available penalty of $60,000) and ordered to pay the EPA’s legal costs and the Victim’s Support Levy.  Image: ABC News |
