Nurse accused of stealing pills

The courts today started hearing evidence against 47-year-old Maria Dolores Spiteri of Kalkara, a nurse who stands charged with stealing a substantial amount of pills from her place of work.

Magistrate Carol Peralta heard how the woman, a part-time nurse at the Corradino Prisons, allegedly stole 75 Ponstan, 14 Clacid and 14 Clarem pills. The case came to light on 17 January this year.

Prosecuting Inspector Spiridione Zammit told the court that he was informed by Corradino Correctional Facility Duty Officer Stephen Zammit that following searches on staff members, a nurse was found to be carrying a hoard of pills inside manila envelopes. Further investigations revealed that Doris Spiteri had been carrying the pills inside envelopes marked ‘Government of Malta’ which had also been taken from her place of work. The search on Spiteri was affected at the end of her shift prior to her leaving the prison building.

The accused told the court that she was employed as a part-timer with Medicare Malta and posted at the Prisons for the past four years. Janett Cilia on behalf of Medicare Limited confirmed this. Spiteri argued that on the fateful day in January she had spoken to officer Roderick Mifsud and he gave her some envelopes, not knowing what she needed them for. The pills did not cost more than €12 in total and she had taken them for her own consumption.  After she was spoken to by prison officials, she asked a doctor for a prescription but again did not mention the stolen pills.

Duty officer Stephen Zammit said it was he who gave the order for staff members to be searched. “Correction Officer Joanne Muscat, who was conducting the searches, informed me about the pills found on Spiteri. I immediately informed my superiors including the Prison’s Director,” he said. The witness called Spiteri to his office and she insisted she had taken the pills because she felt sick and had been prescribed the medication by her private doctor.

Inspector Spiridione Zammit is prosecuting while lawyer Carm Mifsud Bonnici is appearing for the accused. 

The case continues on 3 April.