Teen 'poisoned uncle's soup because he couldn't stand his snoring'

A Japanese high school student has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder his uncle by spiking his miso soup with extracts from a deadly oleander plant.

Oleander is extremely lethal to humans and animals, with all parts of the plant - including the leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit - being highly poisonous.

The 18-year-old from Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, is suspected of trying to kill his uncle around midday on July 17 by chopping up and mixing leaves of the toxic plant into his uncle's food.

The miso soup reportedly contained a lethal dose of the Oleander plant, but the uncle noticed an unusual taste and spat it out immediately.

According to a report by News On Japan, the uncle, who lives with the teenager and his mother, fortunately survived and suffered only minor symptoms as he went to hospital immediately, reports the Mirror.

Nippon TV reports that the motivation behind the attempted poisoning was due to the alleged perpetrator being fed up by his uncle's loud snoring.

During questioning, the student admitted to the charges, and said: "I couldn't stand his snoring anymore, so I decided to kill him."

Oleander is an evergreen shrub often planted along roadsides and in gardens. It bears red or white flowers but is highly poisonous, with all parts of the plant containing toxic compounds.

A student, who had attempted to poison someone earlier in the day, was arrested at JR Chiba Station for assaulting two women with a hammer in a nearby lavatory. The victims were reportedly in their 40s and 50s.

The teenager is said to have used a 24-centimetre hammer to strike the shoulder areas of the victims one after another in the ladies' lavatory within the station.

Thankfully, the women did not sustain serious injuries from the attack.

The student allegedly confessed to investigators: "I wanted to target a weaker woman-anyone would do-and hurt them."

Police are persisting with their investigation into the series of incidents involving the student. Prosecutors are currently considering formal charges of attempted murder against the teenager, who remains in custody.