KEY POINTS:
A former Tauranga Hospital nurse who stole for his own use 120 vials of a drug estimated to be 80 times more potent than morphine was jailed today for a year.
Dan Erik Hansson, 40, of Mt Maunganui, earlier pleaded guilty to the theft of Fentanyl from a
hospital safe on 40 to 50 occasions between March and October this year.
He signed the drug register using names of his medical colleagues and falsified the entries by naming deceased, discharged and current patients.
After he was caught by hospital security surveillance, Hansson admitted he had an out-of-control drug habit and injected himself several times a day, using up to 300 micrograms of diluted Fentanyl for each hit.
More powerful than heroin, the synthetic opoid painkiller has been used recreationally and been linked to date-rape cases overseas.
Dressed in a dark suit and tie and white shirt, the bearded, balding, Hansson stood in the dock with his head bowed through much of his sentencing before Judge Michael Crosbie in Tauranga District Court.
Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne said aggravating features included the abuse of Hansson's position of trust, his premeditation and repetitive offending, and the extent to which he fraudulently used his colleagues' names and references to patients.
Defence lawyer Paul Devoy said his client, a registered nurse since 1998 and employed at Tauranga Hospital in July last year, sought treatment for his drug addiction as soon as his offending was detected.
He had an otherwise clean record and, "apart from this fall from grace," was a good family man and a good member of the community.
Mr Devoy said Hansson had been having some personal problems and decided to experiment with Fentanyl to relieve his stress.
"Unfortunately he got hooked."
Agreeing the offending was a grave breach of trust, the lawyer said Hansson was very remorseful and wanted to apologise to his fellow workers and the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
Mr Devoy sought a community-based sentence with supervision so his client -- now on a sickness benefit -- could continue his addiction treatment.
"This man is a professional person, a trained nurse. Not only was he stealing but he was under the influence of these drugs," Judge Crosbie said.
"That is a grave concern."
He said colleagues had been horrified and "shell-shocked" over what Hansson had done.
"Thankfully in our country it is uncommon offending."
It was a timely reminder to anyone who might be a drug user that the hospital system was not an easy target.
Hansson's need for rehabilitation was outweighed by the need to send strong messages of denunciation and deterrence, said the judge.
The maximum sentence was seven years, and he jailed Hansson for one year. Leave to apply for home detention was granted on the basis that some form of residential programme would be available for his drug addiction.
Reparation of $3148 was ordered, to cover the loss of the stolen drugs and the cost of surveillance to detect the theft.
- NZPA