A mum making a sandwich for her 10-year-old son was horrified when she discovered a blood-covered needle in the loaf of bread.
The mother had taken two slices from the pack of Roberts wholemeal bread – which she had bought from a local Tesco store – when she made the shocking discovery.
Even more shocking came the revelation that the dirty needle had been pushed through the loaf's plastic wrapper by a grandad.
A court heard that David Rodgers, 61, had been desperate to dispose of the needle so his wife wouldn't know he was back on the drug.
He had already used it for a heroin 'fix' before he hid it in the bread in Tesco Extra, Pendlebury, Lancashire, on December 1.
The 'alarmed and distressed' mum handed the needle in to police, who used DNA tracing to track down Rodgers. He pleaded guilty to contaminating the loaf with intent to cause public alarm at Manchester magistrates' court.
The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports.
Rodgers – of Cumbrae Gardens, Salford – was warned he could face jail. Dominic Geelan, prosecuting, said Rodgers had kept the needle in his pocket for two days after injecting himself with heroin. There was no suggestion Rodgers had any sort of grudge against Tesco.
Rodgers had told police: "It's hard to believe what I did, being a father and grandad."
Mr Geelan added: "The only reason he could think of was that he didn't want his wife to know he was using heroin again."
A Tesco spokesman said: "We have been working closely with the police throughout their investigation and on behalf of our customers are pleased that this has been resolved."
Food fails
- Crazy health and safety rules stop parents heating baby food in public<p> All new mums and dads know that you have to be super-organised when you're heading out and about with a new baby. And that usually means packing your own baby food so that you can pop into a cafe and feed your little one. But the Myth Busters Challenge Panel - a new Government panel which has been set up to counteract over-the-top health and safety rules - has found that some cafés and restaurants <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/08/24/crazy-health-and-safety-rules-stop-parents-heating-baby-food-in-cafes/" target="_blank">refuse to warm up baby food</a> or supply hot water, because they say it's just too risky! Have you ever come across this?</p>
- Brilliantly bad baby shower cakes<p> Giving new meaning to the phrase 'bun in the oven', the home of bad baking, <a href="http://www.cakewrecks.com/" target="_blank">Cakewrecks.com</a>, introduced us to the best bad baby shower and welcome to the world cakes ever seen. <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/baking-fails-brilliantly-bad-baby-shower-cakes/" target="_blank">Take a look and let us know your favourites from our gallery</a>, but be warned, some are not in the best possible taste...</p>
- Dad finds dead mouse in his bowl of Rice Krispies<p> It was a case of Snap, Crackle and Shock for dad Mark Hunter who found a dead mouse in his Rice Krispies! The dad-of-two was just about to tuck into his second mouthful he spotted the rodent. "I saw this dark shape appear in the milk, but I didn't realise what it was until I fished it out with my spoon," he told the <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dead-mouse-in-rice-krispies-mark-1416980" target="_blank">Mirror</a>. Ewwwww!</p>
- Council builds 'Mcpath' from school to McDonald's<p> Bridgend council in South Wales made the news when it announced it would be spending £100,000 on a footpath to <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/07/04/council-spends-100-000-on-mcpath-from-school-to-mcdonalds/" target="_blank">ensure children can reach the nearest McDonald's</a> safely from the school gates! Every lunch time 200 pupils turn their noses up at school meals and instead walk along a busy bypass to eat at the fast food chain. Council chiefs say they can't stop children tucking into burgers and need to protect their safety on the half-mile walk to the burger bar…</p>
- Teen eats only chicken nuggets for 15 years<p> Stacey Irvine, 17, has eaten almost nothing but nuggets <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/01/26/teen-eats-only-chicken-nuggets-and-toast-for-15-years-docs-say-extreme-diet-will-kill-her/ " target="_blank">since she was two</a> years old, and recently collapsed at home, struggling to breathe. Doctors found that she was anaemic and had swollen veins in her tongue - all because of her diet. Medics urged her to change her eating habits, but Stacey said that although she knows how serious her addiction is, she just can't stop eating the nuggets. </p>
- Girl, 5, chokes on chunk of plastic inside chicken nugget<p> Little Angel-Mika had a traumatic mealtime when she <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/11/02/girl-5-chokes-on-chunk-of-plastic-inside-chicken-nugget-asda/" target="_blank">almost choked</a> on a chunk of plastic packaging inside an ASDA chicken nugget. Mum Nicola Hilton complained to ASDA, but was told it could take up to 60 days to investigate the plastic found in the Chosen by You chicken nuggets.</p>
- Every lizard helps! Boy finds reptile in Tesco loaf<p> A 10-year-old boy got a lizard more than he bargained for when he went to make some toast for breakfast. William Evans, from Axminster, Devon, <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/07/19/every-lizard-helps-boy-finds-reptile-in-tesco-bread-loaf/" target="_blank">found a reptile</a> stuck to the bottom of the <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/07/09/tesco-would-not-help-look-for-missing-two-year-old-in-store-claims-furious-mum/" target="_blank">Tesco</a>-bought multi-grain loaf! William told his local <a href="http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/youngster_finds_lizard_in_tesco_loaf_1_1450396" target="_blank">newspaper</a>: "I was making some toast and cut off a slice when I saw something that looked like a leaf. So I took the wrapping off and found the lizard inside. It certainly put me off my toast! It was about two to three inches long."</p>
- Christmas reindeer steaks for sale at Lidl<p> Supermarket chain Lidl hit the headlines as the festive season kicked off, after it <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/11/14/tasteless-or-tasty-christmas-reindeer-steaks-for-sale-at-lidll/" target="_blank">started selling reindeer meat!</a> Some parents slammed the chain's decision to offer Siberian reindeer leg steaks as 'tasteless' - although the supermarket described them as 'tasty'! Our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/parentdishuk" target="_blank">Facebook fans</a> saw the funny side. Nicola's biggest concern was 'what's the best kind of wine to go with that'? and Vicky made us laugh, commenting: "I would try it. Santa only has, what, 12 reindeer, and there are more than that on earth. Besides, his are magic and fly, these are obviously the ones who didn't get the job!"</p>
- Baby eats fingernail thought to have come from jar of baby food<p> Dad Christopher Bovington was feeding baby Theodore, five, when his little boy started coughing and spluttering. Christopher peered into his mouth and found a fingernail right at the back of his son’s mouth! Manufacturers Heinz said they would investigate the incident. "I started to panic and my partner was screaming,” <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/11/26/dads-fury-as-son-eats-fingernail-thought-to-have-come-from-jar-of-baby-food-heinz/" target="_blank">said Christopher</a>. “She held his head and was trying to get it, but every time he coughed it moved further backwards."</p>
- Teenage girl lives on diet of cheese and tomato pizza<p> Sophie Ray, 19, has eaten nothing but <a href="http:// http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/03/29/teenage-girl-lives-on-diet-of-cheese-and-tomato-pizza-sophie-ray/" target="_blank">cheese and tomato pizza</a> for the last eight years. The teenager from Wrexham, Wales, hasn't eaten a proper meal since she was two years old, and gags if she tries anything other than a plain pizza slice. Sophie has lived on a diet of cheese and tomato pizza since she was 11 as even a slice of pepperoni is enough to turn her stomach. The teen suffers from a bizarre condition called <a href="http://uktv.co.uk/really/item/aid/614285" target="_blank">Selective Eating Disorder</a> (SED), which means she has a phobia of almost all foods, leaving her petrified to try new foods.</p>
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