Woman forged prescriptions

A woman who felt health staff had ‘‘cut her off’’ from her prescribed drug supply filled the gap herself by forging prescription forms she stole from her doctor. Karen Jennifer Pamela Hamilton previously pleaded guilty to theft and five charges of using a forged document, which arose from offending that began in April this year. The Hāwera District Court heard yesterday how drugs had ‘‘blighted’’ Hamilton’s life. On April 1, Hamilton attended an appointment at Taranaki Base Hospital, but before she left she took prescription forms. Hamilton used forged prescriptions to get more than 200 pills from pharmacies in New Plymouth, Bell Block and Eltham. When police spoke to Hamilton, she told officers she had been ‘‘annoyed’’ health staff were not giving her drugs, saying they had ‘‘cut her off’’. Judge Tony Greig said Hamilton attended a restorative justice meeting with a community representative and was taking suboxone, which is designed to reduce a person’s dependence on opioids. Hamilton was sentenced to six months’ home detention.