An 'overworked' nurse who has been battling a secret cocaine addiction allegedly began selling medication meant for patients in order to pay for her expensive drug habit.
30-year-old Amie Heller would reportedly steal strong painkillers from the NHS which were meant to be prescribed to patients suffering from illnesses, and would sell them to friends, according to the Mirror.
Heller. Credit: Facebook
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The mother-of-one has been jailed for three years and eight months, after her bosses received an anonymous tip off regarding her activity.
Heller had previously complained that she felt 'undervalued' due to her 'extreme shifts on busy short staffed wards', which she claims led to her addiction to cocaine, and subsequently led to her stealing prescription-only drugs from Royal Blackburn Hospital in Lancashire, and then selling them.
Credit: Lancashire Police
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She admitted to four charges of supplying Class B and Class C drugs, namely Zopiclone, Tramadol, dihydrocodeine and codeine, as well as theft between July 1 - July 31, 2015. Her cocaine supplier, Jake Lloyd-Haydock, was also found guilty and has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
"I believe you should enjoy the work you do. It's a big part of your life," it says on her LinkedIn page with regards to moving to a career in beauty.
"Work shouldn't be dreaded as is how I felt when I was working extreme shifts, on busy short staffed wards where I felt under valued. I'm excited at starting a new career."
According to the Mirror, Heller could face being struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for her crimes.
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It was reported that Lloyd-Haydock, who was saved as 'Jakey work' in her iPhone, supplied coke to Heller so she could then deal it to her friends along with the stolen meds. She was found with nine bags of cocaine with a street value of £360 in her home in Ribchester, near Preston. She's been ordered to pay £120 surcharges.
"You were responsible for diverting drugs that needed to be dished out in a regulated way for people's health and safety and you were putting them into an unregulated distribution," Judge Robert Altham told Heller.
"You have abused a position of trust to steal drugs from people who were genuinely ill," he continued.
Source: The Mirror and The Daily Mail
Featured Image Credit: Google Maps/Lancashire Police