A father-of-three has been jailed for 16 months after he sprayed a chilli substance inside a Bunnings in Western Australia in what he claimed was a prank.
Paul Andrew Hart said he was carrying out a fart prank when he sprayed the chilli substance, called Satin’s Spit.
The 52-year-old set off the spray inside the Northam Bunnings on a busy ANZAC Day.
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He walked past a mother and her daughter, sprayed the substance and moments later they were seen coughing.
Hart roamed the aisles and innocent shoppers were impacted.
Customers were forced to cover their eyes and struggled to breathe as the store was evacuated.
Victims were rushed to hospital, forced to strip and decontaminate in outdoor showers.
“We were naked and afraid, I was freezing cold and embarrassed,” one victim said.
The court heard one customer thought they were “going to die”.
“My lungs tightened, I was gasping for air,” the court heard.
The Bunnings was forced to close for the day and lost $16,000 in profit.
The court heard Hart had woken up from distressing dreams and spent the morning drinking alcohol.
The former mine site chef claimed he intended to release “fart spray” to “lighten the mood” but grabbed the wrong can from his pocket.
Hart was jailed today for 16 months.
The 52-year-old will be eligible for parole later this year.
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