Yvonne Raymond: Nowra woman pleads guilty to delivering man with drug-laced chocolates

A woman who left a boxed of drug-laced chocolates on a man’s doorstep told police she “just wanted to be honest” after reporting the contamination herself to police.

A mysterious box of milk chocolates left on a South Coast man’s doorstep could have had “catastrophic consequences”, a court has heard, after a woman admitted to lacing the treats with drugs.

Yvonne Raymonde, 25, pleaded guilty at Nowra Local Court on Tuesday to giving food with the intent to harm after confessing in an email to police to spiking the confectionary with Venlaflaxin, a type of antidepressant.

About midnight on March 14, Raymonde visited the victim’s Worrigee home before leaving behind the “purple and gold milk chocolate box”. The owner found the box the following morning and placed it in a sealed bag.

According to agreed police facts, Raymonde returned to the home two days later and left behind a letter to her “dearest”, in which apologised for past disagreements and inquired about the chocolates.

“I do have to ask you a serious question,” she wrote, according to the police.

“The chocolate box that was sitting on the little table outside your home, did you put it in the bin? I put pills in them. Don’t eat them, it’s dangerous. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Nowra Local Court

The following day, Raymonde returned to the victim’s home, again asking about the chocolates.

“Are you going to have me charged with dropping the letter and chocolates off?” She asked the victim. The homeowner replied that he would, and the two began to argue.

During the argument, Raymonde asked for the chocolates back but was told by the victim he would not be handing them over. Raymonde left shortly after, but the victim did not contact police.

The next week, Raymonde sent an email to a Nowra police detective.

The email stated: “Hello, I spoke with (the victim) the other day and asked if he was going to charge me for leaving a box of chocolates that had pills in them. I wrote him a note not to eat them,” according to agreed facts.

“He said he was going to keep them for evidence. I am not sure he is joking, but I know I did the wrong thing and am not sure what to do to apologise.I just wanted to be honest. I didn’t want to hurt him, I was just angry.”

Concerned for the victim’s welfare, police immediately visited the Worrigee home and found the victim well.

The chocolates had been left unopened on the veranda. Police opened the box and inside found four packages wrapped in silver aluminium foil. One of the packages was opened, with melted chocolate being found inside containing white flakes and “gooey” substance.

Raymonde later admitted to police to having laced the chocolates with drugs, some of which were prescribed to her. She told officers she was worried the victim had died, prompting her to contact police.

Appearing at Nowra Local Court on Tuesday, lawyer Hannah Dreher said Raymonde had a troubled upbringing and was living with an intellectual disability which she described as “seeing the world in black and white”.

Ms Dreher said Raymonde was living a “transient” life and was at the time of the offending on parole.

“Raymonde may never been in court if not for her own admissions,” she said.“Her and the victim were known to each other after a previous incident. She knows she made the wrong decision.”

While Raymonde, who is on an NDIS program, had contacted police, a police prosecutor said the charge was nonetheless “very serious”.

“If the defendant hadn't contacted officers, the victim might have consumed the chocolate and the consequences of doing that could have catastrophic,” he said.

In sentencing, Magistrate Gabriel Flemming said Raymonde needed serious support, but moved against her own desire to be re-admitted into prison.

“Its harder when you’re out,” Magistrate Flemming said. “Living in jail isn’t the answer.”

Raymonde was sentenced to a 15-month intensive corrections order, and will reside in Nowra.