Peterborough: Chemist Manager Jailed For Stealing Drugs

5 December 2013, 10:28 | Updated: 5 December 2013, 10:57

The manager of a Chemist from Eye, near Peterborough, has been jailed for stealing drugs.

Cambridgeshire Police say 42 year old Tim Richards, from Whitby Avenue, Eye, was a senior manager working for Lloyds Pharmacy in Eaton Socon when he stole drugs worth £267,845 between March 2011 and January this year. 

He pocketed a further £139,723 after secretly selling drugs to doctors surgeries and health centres between April 2009 and January this year. 

He also helped himself to £15,000 of medical equipment which he then sold on eBay between April 2007 and March 2011.

Richards was charged with three counts of theft by employee and one count of intent to prejudice/defraud HM Revenue and Customs as he failed to tell them about payments totalling £37,555,20 between March 2010 and March 2013.

He was jailed for 40 months at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty. 

He was jailed for three years for the thefts to run concurrent and a further four months for failing to declare his income to run consecutively.

Detective Constable Lucy Bright said: "This was a complicated case and took great bravery for the staff members to report the suspicious activities by Richards in the pharmacy.

Richards abused his position for this own gain using the money for holidays, cars and houses. He offended over a long period of time and thought he had got away with it.

I'm glad justice has been done."