A 30-year-old man who forged a prescription has been put on probation for nine months.

Freddie Fletcher changed the drug he was meant to receive from codeine to diazepam.

We previously reported that Fletcher went to Accident and Emergency, on August 1 with an injury.

He was prescribed the painkiller codeine.

On August 7, Fletcher returned to the hospital, saying he’d left his prescription on a friend’s fishing boat, and the boat would now be away for two weeks.

He was given another codeine prescription, and later went to Clear Pharmacy, at Castle Street in Douglas.

The prescription he presented was for diazepam, but staff were concerned about the high dosage, and that ‘diazepam’ appeared to be written in different handwriting.

They contacted the hospital and it was confirmed codeine was prescribed.

Fletcher, of Close Malew in Castletown, initially claimed a friend changed the drug name, and he hadn’t noticed.

The court heard he has no previous convictions.

A probation report said that Fletcher had suffered from anxiety and had previously tried to self-medicate, using prescription drugs he had bought on the street.

He told probation that, after his arrest, he’d taken a long hard look at himself and contacted the Drug and Alcohol Team.

Defence advocate Jim Travers entered a basis of plea, in which Fletcher said he’d mislaid his original prescription.

He said the pain had been unbearable so he’d gone back to the hospital.

Fletcher said he’d previously been prescribed diazepam legally, and believed it would help more, so he’d stupidly changed the drug name, but his only intent had been pain relief.

‘It was an inept attempt to hoodwink staff at the pharmacy, which immediately failed,’ said Mr Travers.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood also ordered prosecution costs of £125 to be paid within three months.