VEGE-FIGHT

Murderer’s Bonkers Prison Food Request Rejected by Court

A convicted killer attempts to use human rights law to secure his favorite salty breakfast spread.

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A court knocked down a convict’s bizarre legal battle to force prison authorities to serve him an iconic food item. The legal showdown concluded on Monday after a judge rejected an appeal brought by 55-year-old Andre McKechnie, who is serving a life sentence for murder. McKechnie sued state corrections officials in Victoria, Australia, arguing that withholding Vegemite—a salty, yeast-based byproduct of beer brewing—denied him his right under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act to “enjoy his culture as an Australian in the community with other persons of Australian background.” Justice Claire Harris acknowledged that the refusal to allow McKechnie his favorite spread “limited his cultural rights” under the Charter. However, she ruled the security risks far outweighed his culinary desires. “The limitation on Mr. McKechnie’s ability to enjoy Vegemite in community with other persons of Australian background is primarily that he is a prisoner,” Harris noted in her 47-page judgment. Prison officials testified that the spread has been banned across the state’s 12 facilities for two decades because its strong scent impairs drug-detection dogs and its yeast content can be used to brew contraband alcohol. McKechnie claimed the denial left him feeling “deprived of being able to practice my Australian culture, sad and disconnected from my family and community.”