SINGAPORE — Hoping to catch the fancy of a female co-worker, a technical support officer turned to “love potions” he had bought online, which turned out to be a cocktail of a sedative for animals and an antipsychotic drug.

Wong Fook Hiong, 43, who used to work at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, was fined S$1,500 yesterday for negligently endangering the life of his romantic interest, a 30-year-old lecturer at the same educational institution.

The court heard that Wong had purchased two vials of the “love potion” online for US$200 (S$286) without knowing their contents.

On the evening of Jan 12 last year, he emptied one vial into the victim’s unattended water bottle and shook the bottle.

His acts were caught on the victim’s mobile phone, as she had decided to place her phone on her desk and leave the recording function running after drinking weird-tasting water from her bottle on previous occasions, the court was told.

The following day, a police report was lodged and lab tests showed that the substance in the vial contained two poisons. One was Xyalzine, a sedative, analgesic and muscle relaxant used by vets and not approved for human use. Its side effects include drowsiness, disorientation and a slow heartbeat.

The other poison was Haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug, which can cause insomnia, tremors, agitation and depression.

The victim said the first time she was suspicious of the contents of her water bottle was in November 2014. She had taken one sip and found the taste of the liquid bitter, so she spat it out. Later, she swallowed another mouthful of water from the bottle, which made her throat feel dry. She also reported being unable to think clearly, and that night, she was unable to sleep.

After experiencing more of such incidents, she decided to use her mobile phone to investigate the matter.

Yesterday, Assistant Public Prosecutor N K Anitha said it was fortuitous that despite the potential effects of the poisonous substance, the victim did not suffer serious harm. She called for a high fine to be imposed.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Javern Sim said his client, who is married, has been unemployed for the past 12 months and regretted his actions.

Wong was diagnosed with a mood disorder and asexuality, said Mr Sim. The mood disorder causes him to have low self-esteem, and he also suffered from anxiety, he added.

The disorder is also linked to immaturity and attention-seeking behaviour, which had caused Wong to think that a love potion would work, he said.