Care home mental health nurse found with stash of drugs in her handbag walks free from court

A mental health nurse was caught with a stash of drugs in her handbag whilst working at a care home. Shani McAdam, 32, was working at the home for elderly people in Stockport when suspicions were raised about discrepancies in medication.

Following a search of her handbag, staff found bottles containing 10 tablets of sleeping medication Zopiclone, 11 tablets of anxiety and sleep treatment Lorazepam along with 880 milligrams of broken Lorazepam tablets. McAdam, of Stockport, initially denied any knowledge of the drugs and pleaded not guilty to offences of theft by employee and possession of class C drugs.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, today (July 18) she pleaded guilty to the possession of class C drugs, and the court heard that the Crown Prosecution Service have not proceeded with the offence of theft. McAdam was handed a 12 month conditional discharge.

READ MORE: The Northern Agenda: North's best-kept railway secret will bring faster, cleaner journeys

Prosecutor Maria Brannan said that McAdam began working at the care home for elderly patients who suffer with mental health issues in December 2017. Four months later on March 26 2018, the police were called due to suspicions raised about medication.

“A search of the defendant's handbag found brown bottles containing a number of tablets. These were seven Zopiclone tablets, three further coloured Zopiclone, 11 Lorazepam tablets, and a quantity of broken tablets of Lorazepam,” Ms Brannan said.

“The defendant was arrested and interviewed and initially denied any knowledge of the drugs. When she was interviewed she was told she had a small amount of drugs in her hair, which indicated she had taken them in previous months.”

McAdam was said to have no previous convictions,