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A "dedicated" paramedic has wrecked his dream job after stealing clinical morphine from his bosses.
Andrew Daffey, of Middletune Avenue, Milton, then faked reports to cover up his thieving which appeared to show he had administered the strong painkillers to patients.
In fact, the 27-year-old was "self-medicating" for what he complained was a back problem, although never sought medical help.
But Daffey has avoided going to prison immediately after the judge ruled there was no evidence he had treated patients while under the influence of the prescription-only Class A painkiller.
Maidstone Crown Court heard how he had worked for South East Coast Ambulance Service for four years until he crashed a vehicle in September 2018.
Judge Philip Statman was told how over a five-month period, between Monday, April 23, and Saturday, September 29, 2018, he had been stealing vials of the morphine sulphate from his employers while on duty. At an earlier hearing, the court heard at least 50 vials were not legitimately used.
Prosecutor Daniel Benjamin said that details of what drugs he had used had been left with the patient but then forged the official copy to show he had administered 10 milligrams of the drug.
"This was a gross breach of trust. Your judgment, no doubt affected by the pain you were suffering, led you into making a poor decision..."
He added: "If he went out to people in their homes, the record would show no morphine had been administered but the copy given to the ambulance service did."
Daffey, of Middletune Avenue, Milton pleaded guilty to three charges of theft from an employer, falsifying records and driving carelessly
Judge Statman told him: "This was a gross breach of trust. Your judgment, no doubt affected by the pain you were suffering, led you into making a poor decision. In fact, it was criminal.
"But I am taking a merciful course with you."
The prosecutor said Daffey was trained to respond to emergencies but during the five month period this defendant stole the Class A drug.
"His method was to falsify the records of patients he had attended and treated."
Mr Benjamin said that when his bosses checked they discovered he had used many more vials than any of his colleagues.
He was arrested after driving a vehicle belonging to the ambulance service from Leysdown towards Sittingbourne, travelling at 62mph in a 40mph zone and then at 47mph in a 20mph zone during a routine journey.
Mr Benjamin said he lost control at a roundabout and hit a kerb.
The prosecutor told how on September 16, 2018 he attended an elderly patient - with confusion problems - and the record showed he had given him 10 mgs of the drug.
"Thus the record showed that morphine had been given to a man whose confusion was suspected to have been caused by opiate based medication," he added.
"His method was to falsify the records of patients he had attended and treated."
The court heard how since the age of 10 he had dreamed of becoming a paramedic and obtained a degree in para-science before joining the service and was regarded as a "dedicated paramedic."
The court heard there was no allegation that the vials had been sold on the black market - although he had used more than 50 vials more than any of his colleagues during the same period.
Daffey, who now works for Tesco, received an eight month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 150 hours of work for the community. He was also fined £450 for driving carelessly.
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