A Hungarian winemaker has been sent to prison for murder after he poisoned his own wine in an attempt to stop a thief, reported Agence France-Presse.

The producer from Vacszentlaszlo, 50km east of Budapest, had apparently been beleaguered by thefts of his wine and according to the article was determined to teach the thief, or thieves, “a lesson”. Subsequently, the winemaker laced some of his wine with antifreeze (diethylene glycol) and left the bottles where they were likely to be taken.

Soon after, an unidentified employee stole several poisoned bottles from the winery and shared them with friends.

According to police in the Pest department, the man was hospitalised a few days later, showing signs of poisoning and was pronounced dead within a week of consuming the wine – though the exact cause of his death has not been firmly established.

Five other individuals have also been hospitalised with the poisoning.