A pharmacist in the northwest of England has been suspended for four months following disputed orders he placed for codeine linctus from two pharmacies where he had worked locum shifts in October 2020.

At a videolink hearing on June 6-8, the GPhC’s fitness to practise committee considered allegations faced by Mohammed Abdallo, who first joined the register in 2014.

It was alleged that Mr Abdallo placed orders for four 200ml bottles of codeine linctus SF on two separate occasions during shifts at pharmacies owned by Sharief Healthcare Limited, and that he knowingly removed the bottles without paying for them. The first instance occurred in Tuebrook Pharmacy in Liverpool on October 27 2020 and the second in Upton Rocks Pharmacy in Cheshire on October 28 2020.

On both occasions Mr Abdallo requested codeine linctus bottles for a relative from a colleague who then placed the order, and on both occasions, “when the bottles arrived he was given wrapped packages [containing four bottles] and he took them away in his car without unwrapping them,” according to the FtP committee’s report of the hearing.

On both occasions, staff who had worked with Mr Abdallo discussed the matter with colleagues and determined that he had not paid for the codeine linctus products.

For his part, Mr Abdallo gave oral evidence in which he said he believed he had paid. He argued that the company’s investigation had been unfair and that he had not been asked for his side of the story. He claimed the company never got in touch to remind him to pay, and that he was first made aware of its concerns when he was approached by the GPhC.

He said that at the time of the incidents he was under severe stress due to significant family matters, and that he had not slept or had breakfast before his shift at Upton Rocks Pharmacy. 

The FtP committee found that while Mr Abdallo had probably taken the products without paying, it could not be proven that he had acted dishonestly. The committee said the testimony relating to his personal circumstances at the time “could explain how and why he may have forgotten to pay for the items on the day,” adding that it was “unlikely he would have intended not to pay for the products given that he asked permission to order them and the cost involved was small”. It considered that he “did not realise he had not paid for them”. 

The committee also found it could not be proven that the number of bottles ordered by Mr Abdallo was as alleged. While the wrapped packages he was given contained four bottles on both occasions, he claimed to have requested just two on both days. His requesting two bottles was corroborated by a witness in Tuebrook Pharmacy, and with regard to Upton Rocks Pharmacy the committee decided that the council “had not discharged its burden of proof in relation to the number of bottles ordered”.

The FtP committee found that despite not intending to take the products without paying, Mr Abdallo had breached professional standards by failing to ensure he paid for them and not speaking up when he learned he had been given more bottles than he had ordered.

Taking into account that Mr Abdallo has been subject to interim orders for more than two years, the committee decided that a suspension of four months was “appropriate and proportionate” and said a review hearing should be held before the period of suspension elapses so he can “demonstrate… that he has developed his insight further and fully into his failings and demonstrate how he will guard against repeating his conduct in future”.