Woman, 50, charged over strawberry needle crisis
The first person charged over the strawberry needle crisis is due to face a Brisbane court after spending the night behind bars.
The 50-year-old woman is expected to front Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday morning on seven charges of goods contamination, police say.
It comes exactly two months after Queensland Health officials issued a safety warning when sewing needles were found hidden inside a strawberry punnet.
Dozens more needle discoveries in strawberries, apples and other fruit in all six states sparked the months-long, multi-jurisdiction investigation led by Queensland police.
Police say the accused woman faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted as one charge alleges aggravation.
Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker said the investigation was “major and unprecedented … with a lot of complexities involved”.
“The Queensland Police Service has allocated a significant amount of resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“While the investigation is far from over, I would like to acknowledge the tireless effort of our investigators as well as members from all other agencies across Australia who played a role.”
The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association welcomed the woman’s arrest and called for copycats to face charges too.
“It was a crisis driven by social media and the only real victims were the strawberry growers, and to some extent other Australian fruit growers and exporters,” it said in a statement.
A South Australian man was charged in September over making a false strawberry contamination report to local police, while police have spoken to children in Western Australia and NSW over similar copycat incidents.
