A worker tricked his boss into eating a sweet laced with Viagra in a “terrible April Fools joke which went wrong in a big way”, a judge said.
Benjamin Chope, 24, presented the jelly sweets to Daniel Webber, his manager at Home Bargains in Newton Abbot, Devon, on April 1.
Exeter Crown Court heard Mr Webber tried one of the sweets and had to be taken to hospital after feeling “significantly unwell” 15 minutes later.
Chope was summoned and confessed he had laced eight sweets with 30 Viagra tablets before offering them to managers as a practical joke.
He later admitted a charge of unlawfully and maliciously administering a poison or noxious substance, namely Sildenafil, to Mr Webber.
Mr Recorder Philip Mott sentenced Chope, of Newton Abbot, to 80 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month community order.
“Benjamin Chope, what a fool and what a terrible April Fools joke which went wrong in a big way,” the judge said.
“Poor Mr Webber had to go to hospital and, as you may now imagine, was very frightened indeed.”
Representing Chope, Anne Bellchambers said he had lost his job at Home Bargains and a subsequent job after his first court appearance.
“It was never maliciously intended. He got caught up in what he thought would be funny.”
