‘I should never have worked for Jews:’ Algerian maid confesses to poisoning Jewish family in France

A security guard at the children’s Jewish school told investigators that the nanny had complained about the family’s refusal to raise her pay and made antisemitic remarks.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

French prosecutors opened a case Tuesday against an Algerian nanny accused of placing toxic household products into food and drink used by the Jewish family that employed her, Le Parisien reported.

The woman, identified as Leïla Y., is being tried in Nanterre for administering harmful substances with a racial motive.

The investigation began after the children’s parents filed a report in late January.

According to police, the mother had complained that her wine tasted chemical and that her makeup remover caused burning.

The father later told investigators that another bottle of wine smelled like bleach and that grape juice in the refrigerator had developed foam shortly after the nanny left the home.

Police collected several cleaning products from the apartment, including a multipurpose spray and a bleach-based cleaner.

The family told officers that no one besides the nanny had access to the residence during the period in question.

Days after the initial complaint, the couple’s five-year-old daughter told her mother she had seen the nanny pour a soapy product into a bottle of alcohol.

Toxicology tests conducted by law enforcement found polyethylene glycol and other chemical agents in multiple items taken from the home, including wine, whisky, fig alcohol, grape juice, and uncooked pasta.

Court documents noted that the substances can be harmful or corrosive if ingested.

The nanny was taken into custody on February 5 of last year.

During questioning, she admitted to adding the products to the family’s food and drink. She told police she did it “because they have money and power” and said, “I should never have worked for Jews; they only brought me problems.” She described her actions as a “warning” connected to a dispute over wages.

A security guard at the children’s Jewish school told investigators that the nanny had complained about the family’s refusal to raise her pay and made antisemitic remarks.

Prosecutors first considered an attempted-poisoning charge but determined that the chemicals used did not meet the legal requirement of being likely to cause death. The case is now proceeding under the lesser offense of administering harmful substances motivated by race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.