When it comes to suspecting your partner is cheating, we’ve learned there are all kinds of ways to get creative.
We’ve heard about the glitter trap, and how to spot ‘cheater energy’ a mile off.
But it seems not all responses are so light-hearted.
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51-year-old father of five, Richard Black, has admitted to swapping his then-partner’s medication for laxatives when he started to believe she was cheating on him.
Black, from Dover, admitted the offence before a court after he was caught sneaking into their kitchen on CCTV footage.
His defence lawyer, Nadia Semlali, said when addressing Canterbury Crown Court: “This is an action which he does not intend to repeat.”
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Black added laxatives to his partner’s medication in June last year (2023).
His then-partner fell ill that same month. She told the court that she began feeling light-headed and then faint. Her symptoms got progressively worse until she began suffering from sickness and diarrhoea.
The court heard that she checked the CCTV cameras in the house and saw Black messing around with her medication in shocking footage.
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She sent that footage to a friend, who alerted the police on her behalf.
When the unnamed partner confronted Black about the laxatives, he tried to pass the blame onto her digesting ‘poorly prepared prawns’.
His fishy excuse soon fell apart and Black ultimately admitted the offence when he appeared in court.
The presiding Judge Simon Taylor KC told Black it was a 'relatively unusual offence'.
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He also addressed that his actions had a 'significant psychological impact' on his ex.
The Judge told Black: “Following relationship turmoil, you took a wholly inappropriate route.
“I have accepted that you did not intend to cause actual bodily harm but this was a calculated attack with a significant psychological impact.”
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Black will not have to serve any time behind bars.
Instead, he has been served with a five-year restraining order against his partner, which bans all forms of contact.
Black must also complete 180 unpaid community service and has been ordered to pay costs of £535, plus statutory surcharge.
His lawyer Semlali concluded: 'He is very remorseful of his actions. It was very out of character for him.'
Kya Buller