A doctor who stole powerful drugs from a Perth hospital has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Dr Jahangir Khan had earlier admitted taking four vials of morphine from a special locked cabinet while on duty at Perth Royal Infirmary between April 1 and 15.
The 46-year-old was handed a community payback order comprising 250 hours of unpaid work, which he must complete within a nine- month period, at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis was told that the value of the drugs to the NHS was around £16. He also heard that Khan is suspended from practice by the General Medical Council (GMC).
His defence agent David Holmes said Khan had committed the offence while in a depressive state following a spell of ill health the previous year.
He said: “Dr Khan had an epileptic seizure in September 2012 and hadn’t been able to work for six months. When he did return to work he was suffering a depressive state and was not performing as well as would be expected.
“He referred himself to the GMC and has been suspended as a result of the referral.”
Sentencing Dr Khan, Sheriff Foulis said: “The amount of the drug stolen and the value of the drug is very low. Nonetheless, this offence is a serious matter.
“The drugs themselves, for obvious reasons, are recorded and clearly you’re in a significant position of trust. To misappropriate medication is a particularly fundamental contravention of medical standards.
“You come before me as a first offender and clearly there were issues but nonetheless I have to take a serious view of the matter.”
The court had previously heard how Dr Khan pretended to prescribe the drugs to patients in order to gain access to the cabinet.
But colleagues found inconsistencies in the records, leading to an investigation. When confronted, Dr Khan admitted taking the morphine and also admitted the theft when he appeared in court.
Khan, who lives in Perth, qualified as a doctor at Dundee University in 1995.