A drug user who stole medication from the chemist she worked at was only found out when she crashed her car.

Sophie Evans from Sevenoaks swiped diazepam and codeine from Hobbs Pharmacy in South Darenth.

A court heard the 27-year-old crashed her Vauxhall Corsa in Main Road, Longfield, on November 7, last year.

When police searched her vehicle they found the stolen drugs and a small amount of cannabis.

Evans, of Crowhurst Lane, West Kingsdown, was taken to hospital to get checked over and a blood test revealed she was over the drug-drive limit.

She was found to have 5.9 micrograms of THC (a cannabis component) per 100 millilitres of blood in her system. The legal limit is 2 micrograms.

Evans was charged with six offences and pleaded guilty to them on the day she was due to stand trial.

She admitted two counts of theft by an employee, two counts of possession of a controlled class C drug, possession of cannabis and drug driving.

She returned to Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on December 18 to hear her fate.

The court heard she stole the prescription drug from the pharmacy when she worked on the front counter at the shop.

James Nichols, prosecuting, said: “She was involved in a road traffic crash and the cannabis was found in the car and so was the diazepam and codeine.

“The meds had been taken from the Hobbs pharmacy where she worked as a dispenser and she said she took them as she was going through a bad time and was low and at the time wanted to end her life.

“She’s of previous good character and has no convictions.”

The court also heard at the time Evans committed the offences she was in an abusive relationship and had become dependent on the prescribed medication she had stolen.

She now accepted her behaviour had been reckless, but had been going through a distressing period at the time of her offending.

Magistrates were also told her cannabis habit had formed after she’d been introduced to the drug by her former partner.

The bench decided to place Evans on a high-level 12-month community order which will see her complete 15 rehabilitation sessions and 150 hours of unpaid work.

She was also banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 as well as £85 court costs.

Magistrates ordered the drugs be destroyed.