School lab technician sentenced over chloroform incident

A secondary school lab technician will be sentenced today after knocking a 17-year-old girl unconscious by dousing her dust mask in chloroform.

Jared Shreeve, 41, lured the student into the London school's chemical store under the guise of helping her gain experience of working with chemicals during lunchtime on July 2, 2008, police said.

But Shreeve gave her a dust mask doused with chloroform and knocked her unconscious.

He was found guilty of administering a poison with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on July 9.

Shreeve, a senior lab technician, kept the chloroform in a brown bottle marked "Chemical Odour Neutraliser", Scotland Yard said.

He told the girl she needed to wear the mask to protect her from harmful fumes.

But when she tried to remove it after she started to feel unwell, Shreeve simply added more chloroform and insisted she keep it on, police said.

He panicked when she fell unconscious and called for help, police said.

Paramedics took her to King George Hospital where she was treated for a chemical burn to her face.

Two further bottles of the substance were seized from the school, police said.

Shreeve, of South Street, Romford, was arrested at his home on August 19, 2008, following an investigation by the Child Abuse Investigation Command at Chadwell Heath.

He is due to be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court from 10am.