Mitchel Scruton: Dr John Ullman’s drug customer sentenced in court

A Brisbane youth consuming up to 20 Valium tablets a day made 11 commercial purchases of up to $11,000 from a doctor accused of trafficking, a court has heard.

A Brisbane painting apprentice with a “rampant” addiction to prescription drugs, consuming up to 20 Valium tablets a day, has been sentenced after he was revealed as a major customer of a skin doctor who allegedly trafficked in the medication.

Hamilton man Mitchel Blake Scruton, 21, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court to 15 drug-related offences.

They included 11 counts of possessing dangerous drugs and one charge each of possessing a dangerous drug, possessing cash and a mobile phone used in connection with drug offences, and possessing Category A weapons.

The court heard Scruton’s offences were detected as part of a police operation targeting Chelmer doctor John Robert Ullman, who operated clinics at Chermside and Fortitude Valley, and was suspected of trafficking in prescription medication.

Hamilton man Mitchel Blake Scruton, 21. Picture: File

Scruton was originally also charged with trafficking in codeine and diazepam, as well as supplying dangerous drugs, but these charges were discontinued by the Crown in favour of the 11 counts of possessing a dangerous drug.

The court heard Scruton was witnessed on hidden cameras installed by police making 11 purchases from Dr Ullman’s clinics.

The Crown alleged that on each occasion Scruton purchased "commercial quantities” of codeine and Valium.

On each of the 11 occasions, which occurred between January 13 last year and Scruton’s arrest following a search warrant executed on September 23, Scruton was pictured leaving the clinics with up to two “large boxes”, or “large plastic bags”, of prescription medication.

While the Crown was unable to particularise the purchases on some occasions, on other occasions searches of Scruton’s residence uncovered evidence of the scale of his purchases.

On February 22, 2020, the day after Scruton made a purchase, a search of his residence uncovered 550 diazepamn (i.e. Valium) tablets and a bottle of Painstop brand codeine.

The following week, again shortly after another purchase, a search again uncovered 50 tablets of diazepam and two tablets of aplrazolam.

On or about August 5, Scruton was again searched and found in possession of 20 bottles of painstop, containing 4g pure codeine in total, 500 tablets of diazepam, and $7630 cash.

The final search warrant, on September 23, uncovered knuckledusters, a knife, six bottles of testosterone and a mobile phone, analysis of which revealed at one point he made a purchase of $11,000 from the doctor.

On another occasion, Scruton supplied $1200 worth of drugs to a customer, although this transaction was not the subject of any charges.

He has been remanded in custody since September last year, a total period of about 14 months.

The court heard Scruton had already racked up a substantial drug-related criminal history, featuring multiple appearances in the Wynnum Magistrates Court and elsewhere for possessing dangerous drugs.

Doctor John Robert Ullman. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Defence counsel Elliot Boddice told the court his client was a “rampant” pill addict at the time of his offending, consuming up to 20 Valiums a day.

However, he had gotten himself clean behind bars and had an offer of full-time work with his father upon his release from custody.

Judge Ken Barlow QC sentenced Scruton to three years’ imprisonment with immediate court-ordered parole, taking into account his time spent on remand.

Scruton will report to the Morningside Probation and Parole Office.

Dr Ullman has been charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and other drug-related offences.

His matters are still before the courts.