NEWS of a burglary at a surgery in which prescriptions were stolen spread rapidly through medical and pharmaceutical circles, a court was told.

Blackburn magistrates heard that when David Douglas Greaves presented prescriptions at three different outlets he was turned away empty-handed.

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And on the third occasion police were on the scene quickly enough to arrest him.

Greaves, 45, of Walmsley Close, Church, pleaded guilty to three charges of using a false prescription with intent to obtain prescription drugs.

He was sent on bail to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced on February 6.

Tracey Yates, prosecuting, said the prescriptions had been stolen during a burglary at the Rhyddings Surgery.

Greaves presented a hand-written prescription at the late-night pharmacy on Blackburn Road but the dispensing chemist was immediately suspicious and refused to dispense the drugs.

The same happened at the Asda pharmacy two days later and at Boots three days after that.

After his arrest Greaves told police he had spelled some of the drugs incorrectly and had tried to change them.

“In his own words he said he was a ‘divvy’,” said Mrs Yates.”The drugs on the prescriptions were very strong anti-psychotics and could have had serious consequences if they had got into the wrong hands.”

Ben Leech, defending, said Greaves had told police that a female friend had left the prescriptions at his home.

“He hadn’t given any real thought to the seriousness of the situation he was putting himself in,” said Mr Leech.

“There was no intention of selling the drugs on or any suggestion that he had been put up to these offences by anyone else.”

Mr Leech said his client’s attempts at forgery had been amateurish.

“The police referred to several spelling mistakes on the prescriptions,”said Mr Leech.

“News of the surgery burglary had spread like wildfire, the prescriptions were checked and the flaws were there for all to see.”