“Side Business” In Percocet: Woman Avoids Prison After Using Doctor’s Electronic Signature To Obtain 3,685 Pills Containing Oxycodone

By Alric Lindsay

A 42-year-old former medical clinic receptionist has been handed a 23-month suspended prison sentence and placed on a two-year probation order after admitting to using a visiting doctor’s electronic signature to forge prescriptions and illegally obtain prescriptions for 3,685 pills containing oxycodone.

Errolyn Jane Thompson appeared in the Grand Court today, November 13, 2026, before Justice Richards for the delivery of her sentence judgment after previously entering guilty pleas to possession of criminal property, forgery, uttering a forged document, and two counts of obtaining property by deception.

During the proceedings, Crown Counsel confirmed that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was offering no evidence against two co-defendants, Jarvis Edgar Thompson and Anastasia Watson, who also appeared in court. Justice Richards formally discharged both individuals on the indictment, ruling that they were free to go and that all bail conditions fall away.

The Prescription Fraud Scheme

The court heard that Errolyn Thompson began working as a receptionist in June 2021 at a local medical practice offering pain management services. After her position became redundant, staff discovered irregularities in the clinic’s prescription records.

An investigation revealed that Thompson had accessed the electronic signature of a visiting consultant physician—who travelled to the Cayman Islands once a month—from the clinic’s computer system and used it without authorization to prepare fraudulent prescriptions for Percocet, a medication containing oxycodone.

The doctor subsequently confirmed to police that his signature had been used unlawfully.

Between April 18, 2022, and January 27, 2023, Thompson forged 17 prescriptions and uttered 12 forged documents. Pharmacy records confirmed that pills were collected across two local pharmacies, including Foster’s Food Fair Pharmacy and West Bay Pharmacy.

Justice Richards noted during sentencing that Thompson operated the scheme as a “side business” and could have earned $33,165 had every pill been sold at $9 per pill.

CCTV, Phone Messages, and Arrest

Police investigators obtained CCTV footage showing Thompson collecting prescriptions from pharmacies. A forensic review of 83 pages of messages from her mobile phone further confirmed that she was selling the pills and arranging for other individuals to pose as patients.

Officers arrested Thompson on March 2, 2023, recovering three medication bottles and $1,255 in criminal cash. She answered “no comment” to all questions during police interviews.

A Victim Impact Report submitted by the clinic’s manager outlined that the fraud severely damaged the business’s operations and reputation, resulting in local pharmacies refusing to accept legitimate prescriptions issued by the practice.

Mitigation and Medical Evidence

Defence counsel Amelia Fosuhene submitted that Thompson was acting under the influence of underlying psychological conditions she was unaware of at the time of the offences, stemming from a long history of severe childhood trauma. Counsel argued that Thompson had expressed genuine remorse, was actively attending therapy, and required specialized treatment that incarceration could not provide.

A medical report dated May 1, 2026, confirmed that Thompson has been undergoing treatment since 2025 for impulse-control and trauma-related disorders, showing strong dedication to her recovery despite her stability remaining fragile. A reference letter from her current employer also noted that she had been given a second chance, proved to be a dependable and committed worker, and had recently earned a promotion.

Conversely, a Social Inquiry Report dated March 2026 noted that Thompson—who has prior convictions for theft and false accounting—minimized her actions, failed to fully acknowledge the impact of her conduct on the medical profession, and posed a high risk of reoffending.

Sentencing Breakdown and Court Orders

In her sentencing remarks, Justice Richards ruled that the offending was serious and crossed the custody threshold, stating that Thompson “betrayed [a] position of trust by preparing false prescriptions over 10 months.”

However, addressing Thompson directly, the judge indicated that the psychiatric evidence saved her from immediate imprisonment:

“But for the medical report, you are fully deserving of a very long prison sentence.”

Noting that her path of rehabilitation would be interrupted by incarceration, Justice Richards calculated the custodial terms as follows:

• Obtaining Property by Deception: Starting point of 48 months, reduced by 38% for mitigating factors and a further 25% for the guilty plea to 23 months.
• Possession of Criminal Property: Starting point of 36 months, reduced by 38% for medical conditions and character references to 22 months, and further reduced by 25% for the guilty plea to 17 months.
• Forgery & Uttering a Forged Document: Starting point of 18 months on each count, reduced for mitigation to 11 months, and further reduced by 25% for the guilty pleas to 9 months each.

Justice Richards ordered the custodial sentences to run concurrently (except for count 8) and suspended the 23-month prison term for two years.

In respect of Count 8 (obtaining property by deception from West Bay Pharmacy), the judge imposed a two-year Probation Order supervised by the Department of Community Rehabilitation, subject to mandatory conditions requiring Thompson to:

1. Participate in substance abuse programs;
2. Engage in counselling services;
3. Submit to mandatory drug testing; and
4. Comply fully with all rehabilitation directives.

Justice Richards warned Thompson that she must comply with both requirements—committing no further offences for two years and completing the probation order—and stressed that any breach will result in the immediate activation of the 23-month prison sentence.

Finally, upon application by Crown Counsel, the court ordered the confiscation of the $1,255 seized upon her arrest and directed that the pills recovered from her residence be forfeited and destroyed.