Auckland woman served 83-year-old mother tea laced with weed killer

An Auckland woman who served her 83-year-old mother a cup of tea laced with weed-killer later admitted she wanted to kill the victim because she wanted her “out of my life”. 

The defendant was charged earlier this year with attempted murder. 

She returned today to the High Court at Auckland, where she pleaded guilty to arson and a reduced charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm through poisoning. 

Justice Mathew Downs set a sentencing date for early next year and allowed name suppression pending a bid for permanent suppression. 

Court documents obtained by the Herald outline how the defendant prepared the poisoned cuppa about 8.30am on June 28 at the victim’s West Auckland home. 

“Half of the cup of tea contained Roundup, while the other half contained tea,” according to the agreed summary of facts. 

The defendant served the tea to her mother in bed, placing it on a side table before leaving the home and travelling to Henderson. 

“The complainant took a sip of the tea but did not consume more as she thought it tasted and smelt odd,” authorities noted. 

The victim’s single sip was not enough to disable her, documents state. 

An Auckland woman has admitted attempting to cause grievously bodily harm to her mother by serving her poisoned tea. The teacup was found in the victim's home. Photo / NZ Police 

The defendant came home and argued with her mother, who left. 

The defendant used accelerant to light three fires: one in the bedroom and two in the lounge. One fire caused moderate damage to the lounge. 

“Neighbours found [the defendant] outside her house, while smoke was pouring out of the windows,” court documents state. 

Firefighters arrived and extinguished the blazes a short time later. 

An Auckland woman has pleaded guilty to serving her mother poisoned tea and trying to burn her home down. The lounge was moderately damaged by the blaze. Photo / NZ Police 

Had the woman been found guilty of attempted murder, she could have faced up to 14 years’ imprisonment. The amended charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years. 

The defendant was upfront with investigators about the poisoning attempt during a recorded interview. 

“She stated that she wanted the complainant ‘out of my life’ and that her intention was to kill her mother,” court documents state. 

“[She] also admitted deliberately lighting the fires and stated that her intention was to burn the house down as an act of revenge against the complainant.” 

Investigators found the poisoned tea and tested it, confirming it contained the herbicide glyphosate. The same chemical was found in a urine sample taken from the victim. 

The defendant has not previously been before the courts. She told police that she had suffered from schizophrenia for more than two decades but was up to date with her medication. 

Her mother sat in the courtroom gallery during the hearing. She is interested in potentially attending a supervised restorative justice meeting with the defendant, the court was told. 

Today’s arraignment was momentarily thwarted when the defendant loudly proclaimed: “not guilty, your honour,” when asked how she wanted to plead to the amended charges. 

Not expecting that answer, Justice Downs ordered the hearing to be stood down so that the defendant could consult with defence lawyer Guneesh Jubal. 

The defendant later pleaded guilty, with her lawyer explaining that she misspoke earlier as she was nervous. 

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.