Pharmacy technician caught out

A pharmacy technician at Mater Dei hospital yesterday admitted to stealing pills in what a magistrate described as being more a case of helping out than actual theft.

Josephine Knezevic Cassar, 41, from Santa Luċija, would hand over the pills to another employee, Evelyn Schembri, 42, of Sta Venera, without a prescription.

Police Inspector Jesmond Micallef told Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani that although the woman was entitled to the pills, they were handed over without a prescription but were not sold.

He said the investigation started after pills that were previously out of stock suddenly disappeared when replenished.

CCTV footage revealed Ms Schembri leaving with the pills in hand and the police found out it was Ms Knezevic Cassar who had handed some of them over.

The case against Ms Schembri, in which she is pleading not guilty to stealing nine types of pills, is still pending.

Defence lawyer Franco Debono pointed out that the case seemed to be more about misappropriation than theft.

Magistrate Padovani said that from the evidence before her it appeared that Ms Knezevic Cassar was helping out rather than stealing and warned her that the procedures in place to hand out the medicines were there for a reason.

Ms Knezevic Cassar admitted to stealing the pills and was handed a three year conditional discharge. The magistrate also sent a recommendation to the hospital not to fire her over this incident.