Leoaai Elghareeb arrested last week
A solicitor accused of injecting blood into food at three west London supermarkets used to work at Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills and Milbank, it has emerged.
Leoaai Elghareeb, 37, faces three charges of contaminating or interfering with goods with intent at three stores last week.
He is alleged to have used syringes to inject blood into food on shelves at Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s stores in Fulham. He is also accused of throwing syringes and eggs around one of the stores.
Elghareeb was arrested and appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday. The court was told that Elghareeb was a solicitor and a “man of previous good character”. He currently runs his own legal consultancy business.
Elghareeb trained at HSF over ten years ago, from 2009 to 2011, and later joined A&O’s Dubai office as an associate from November 2012 to May 2013. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, transferring to a former A&O partner firm in Riyadh from May 2013 to June 2014. He also worked as an associate at Milbank on a six-month contract during 2014 to 2015.
The solicitor is remanded in custody until a plea hearing at Isleworth Crown Court later this month.
Following the incident, Hammersmith & Fulham Council issued an emergency alert advising shoppers to throw away any food bought from the three stores.
“The food items affected are believed to be processed meat and microwaveable products,” the council said. “It is currently unknown as to how many items have been contaminated, or with what substance.”
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