A pharmacist who has admitted committing prescription fraud but claimed he was doing it to help his elderly customers has avoided a jail term.
Ashley Dunn, 61, was sentenced the Auckland District Court on Thursday to 300 hours community service and four months community detention on 47 fraud counts involving nearly $50,000 of public money.
The Crown told the court an investigation uncovered altered prescription forms and computer records, and in some cases Dunn had forged doctors' initials.
Crown lawyers asked for a prison sentence for what they said was deliberate and repeated offending.
Dunn's lawyer claimed he did not benefit financially and his actions were often an attempt to save some of his older customers from more trips to the doctor.
