A repeat fraudster was thwarted by an eagle-eyed pharmacy staff member as he tried to obtain diazepam with a fake prescription.
Jake Godber, 24, went into the Well pharmacy on Maude Street in Kendal, at around 4.25pm on September 13.
At the counter, he produced a prescription to a woman working behind the counter.
But Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard when she looked at that prescription she knew it was bogus as details of such forgeries had been flagged up on a pharmacy WhatsApp group.
The woman asked a colleague to keep Godber busy as she left the counter. When she returned she saw the he had left and that the police chasing after him.
As he appeared in court today, Godber admitted an offence of fraud by false representation having sought to make a gain, namely diazepam.
Magistrates heard he had three previous convictions for 11 offences.
Godber, of Orton Road, Carlisle, had been sentenced earlier this year — and been given a community order — for using fake prescriptions to gain medication for himself.
On that occasion he had repeatedly been rebuffed while making eights attempts on seven different dates to commit fraud at pharmacies across Cumbria. These happened in Carlisle, Penrith, Workington and at Gateshead’s Metro Centre.
As with his most recent crime, Godber was thwarted by alert employees.
Godber’s lawyer said the Kendal offence had not been sophisticated with the prescription clearly a fake.
Magistrates suspended a 16-week prison sentence for 12 months, noting that Godber had been subject to a community order at the time of his latest offence.
Godber must complete work with the probation service aimed at curbing his criminal conduct.
