A man who forged his doctor’s prescription was caught after he spelled the name of the medication incorrectly.
Ryan Keenan, 19, added an order of Xanax (valium) tablets to the prescription he got from his doctor in Letterkenny.
But Keenan was foiled when an eagle-eyed pharmacist noticed the prescription had been spelled incorrectly when he called to the chemist on June 1st, 2011.
When the error was pointed out to Keenan by staff at the Central Pharmacy, he fled.
Staff at the pharmacy contacted the man’s doctor, Dr Brian McColgan, and he contacted Gardai.
Keenan, of 20 Foxhills, Letterkenny, pleaded guilty at Letterkenny District Court today to using a medical certificate knowing it to be false under Section 26 of the Criminal Justice Act.
The court heard how Keenan had become addicted to drink and drugs but his main problem was that he had issues with dealing with people and was extremely shy.
Judge Paul Kelly warned Keenan that he was putting himself in danger by taking tablets which had not been prescribed to him.
“You are putting yourself in danger I trying to get medicines which are not prescribed for you. If you do this you are putting yourself in serious danger,” he said.
The court heard that Keenan was enrolled on a FAS course and was due to travel to Pittsburgh in the US on February 11th for six weeks.
Judge Paul Kelly adjourned the case until April 22nd for a probation report ad warned Keenan to address his addiction problems.