THE husband of a dying woman altered a prescription to get extra medication for her, a court heard yesterday.
Mark Wrangham, 36, of Yarm Road, Darlington, changed a prescription to get 400 codeine phosphate tablets instead of 200 for his wife Helen, who has cancer.
He admitted attempting to dishonestly obtain property by deception when he appeared at South Durham Magistrates' Court.
His wife was named Darlington's Wondermum earlier this year when the couple's four children entered her for a competition run by Asda.
Paul Hunter, prosecuting, told magistrates that pharmacist Robert Herbert became suspicious and alerted police after he was handed the prescription.
Wrangham admitted the offence.
Trevor Jones, in mitigation, said Mrs Wrangham needed extra tablets because she was in severe pain.
He said that rather than return to her GP to get the prescription altered, her husband "had taken matters into his own hands".
He said: "Mr Wrangham is desperate to get this matter behind him.
"His wife's condition is terminal and there are the children to look after. He is really ashamed of himself."
Magistrates gave him a six-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £35 costs
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