Tobias Martin in Maroochydore Court for forged script at Nambour pharmacy

A Sunshine Coast man has found himself in court for trying to fill a forged script that had been stolen from a doctor’s house in a burglary.

Tobias Martin

A court has heard how a Nambour pharmacist noticed a script was forged when a man tried to obtain pain medication using the fraudulent document.

Tobias James Martin, 23, pleaded guilty to uttering a forged document and receiving tainted property in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on November 16.

Police prosecutor Nick Nitschke said a Sunshine Coast doctor had his house broken into with his personal property stolen including a prescription pad containing blank scripts.

“Those blank scripts contained the doctors details stamped on top,” Sergeant Nitschke said.

On July 2, Martin handed over one of the stolen scripts containing hand written details in an attempt to get prescription medication.

The pharmacist suspected the script was fraudulent and kept it without filling it.

Police were informed and the doctor confirmed Martin had never been a patient of his and it was not the doctor’s writing on the scripts.

Sergeant Nitschke told the court Martin was not suspected of having stolen the script through the burglary, just of trying to use it.

Duty lawyer Michael Robinson said Martin had a drug problem, was couch surfing and was seeking admission into rehabilitation.

Mr Robinson said the offending was an unsophisticated attempt to get pain medication quickly.

Martin told the court he had been trying to get into rehab for a year to get better.

Magistrate Kurt Fowler said Martin’s conduct could be fraught with danger and undermined the reliance pharmacists place on receipt of scripts.

“A lot of people aren’t genuinely trying so I accept what Mr Robinson said that you are trying,” Magistrate Fowler said.

“What gives me comfort is you have family support.”

Martin was fined $350 and a conviction was not recorded.