Anaesthetist facing jail for stealing drugs from hospital ‘for sexual activity’
Jonathon Dean, of Poplar, east London, stole the drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London
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A trainee anaesthetist is facing jail after admitting stealing drugs from the hospital where he was working, planning to use “at least some of them for sexual activity” with a girlfriend.
Judge Philip Grey said he would sentence Jonathon Dean on the basis that his “intention was to use at least some” of the stolen anaesthetic drugs “for sexual activity with Miss (Tara) Slade”.
Dean, of Poplar, east London, stole the drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London.
The judge told Huntingdon Crown Court on Friday it was “plain (Miss Slade) was anaesthetised”.
He said Dean “knew full well he shouldn’t take drugs (from the hospital) or use them in this way”, but that he would not sentence him on the basis it was “all his idea”.
The judge said Dean was “finished as a doctor”, and adjourned the case while reports are prepared about the defendant.
Dean was about to stand trial when he pleaded guilty to nine counts of the theft of drugs, including morphine, from Whipps Cross Hospital.
Five of the counts, concerning the theft of the drugs cyclizine, ondansetron, propofol, midazolam and morphine, were said to have happened on or before December 14, 2018.
Three of the counts, involving cyclizine, ondansetron and morphine, were said to have happened on or before January 28, 2019.
The ninth count of theft, of propofol, was said to have happened between January 21 and March 21 of this year.
Dean also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
One count was of the class A drug morphine on January 28, 2019 and the other was of the class C midazolam on December 14, 2018.
He denied a count of unlawfully administering a noxious substance, a mixture of morphine, propofol and midazolam, to Tara Slade with intent to endanger life.
The judge ordered that the count, under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, lie on the file.
Explaining to jurors why they were not required, the judge said: “You were about to start trying Mr Dean on charges which related to the theft of anaesthetic drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital where he was a trainee anaesthetist.”
He said Dean had pleaded guilty to the thefts and that the prosecution were not seeking a trial on the one outstanding charge so “there is not going to be a trial”.
Catherine Farrelly, prosecuting, said Dean had been “suspended on full pay”.
Dean will be sentenced on February 16 at either Huntingdon Crown Court or Cambridge Crown Court.
The judge granted him bail but told him that a prison sentence was “overwhelmingly the most likely outcome in these proceedings”.