Adelaide GP Brian Holder stands trial accused of attempting to murder pharmacist who caught him overprescribing medication

AN Adelaide GP accused of plotting to murder the pharmacist who caught him overprescribing drugs insists he only wanted to confront the woman, and was carrying a knife in case “there was a kerfuffle”.

AN Adelaide GP is standing trial, accused ambushing a pharmacist with flowers and a knife after she caught him overprescribing drugs to regional patients.

Dr Brian Holder has rejected the accusations, telling the Supreme Court he wanted only to “confront” the mother of two — and armed himself in case “there was a kerfuffle”.

Holder, 69, of Reynella, has pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder but guilty to one aggravated count of intentionally causing harm.

Prosecutors have rejected his confession, insisting his actions — at the Terry White Pharmacy in Port Lincoln on October 20 last year — were deliberate, calculated and premeditated.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Peter Hill said the pharmacist, 32, had reported Holder to health authorities for overprescribing codeine and benzodiazepines to local patients.

He said that, just four days after being reprimanded, Holder travelled to Port Lincoln and purchased a 10cm fishing knife, saying “it’s not like I’m going to stab someone with it”.

Mr Hill said Holder purchased a bouquet of flowers and approached the pharmacist at her work, saying “I’ve got some flowers for you”.

“She said ‘that’s nice, I never get flowers’ but he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the fishing knife and said ‘this is for you’,” he said.

“He stabbed toward her chest, very much in the direction of her heart … he did not succeed.”

Mr Hill said the woman sustained non-life threatening wounds to her arm and hands while fending Holder off — he fled and attempted to kill himself in his hotel room.

He said Holder left behind a suicide note and had earlier mailed life insurance papers to his wife with the instruction “don’t show this letter to anyone, especially police”.

Giving evidence, Holder said he believed the regional patients needed the medicine he prescribed, and that it would benefit their lives.

He said he had struggled with anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation all his life, and bore no ill will toward the pharmacist for turning him in.

“I thought (being caught) would be the end of my practice … deep down I was almost glad that my life was going to end after all those years of finding it difficult,” he said.

“The thought came to me I might just confront her and explain to her the effect that her actions had, maybe just make her feel a little bit of guilt.

“I thought I might be able to use the knife if there was a kerfuffle or I wanted to get away from the area … I could wave it around and get away.”

Holder said he had “no recollection” of consciously deciding to stab the woman, blaming “a subconscious reaction as part of my extreme anxiety” for his actions.

Justice Ann Vanstone, who heard the trial in the absence of a jury, will hand down her verdict at a later date.

If you need assistance, call the Mental Health Emergency line on 13 14 65, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.