The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has suspended two pharmacists for dishonestly taking medication from their workplaces in two separate cases.

Leanne Alexandria Sewell, registration number 2067576, and Sajid Firfirey, registration number 2065659, were both suspended for 12 months following hearings this month.

Mr Firfirey, a company director, was found guilty of dishonestly removing diazepam. He gave evidence that he was under pressure at the time of the incident and there were a "significant number" of positive character references.

The council said Mr Firfirey's case showed "a lack of insight and acceptance of wrongdoing", but gave "no real weight to the suggestion that the misconduct was premeditated". The GPhC ruled that it would not be appropriate to erase Mr Firfirey from the register, and suspended him for one year.

Leanne Alexandria Sewell was found guilty of dishonestly taking medication from her pharmacy. The council noted that she had admitted to her actions "at the earliest opportunity" and had needed to take painkillers for a number of injuries.

The council heard Ms Sewell had dishonestly consumed medication during work hours and that colleagues "feared for the safety of the patients" because of her slower response times.

Ms Sewell was suspended and asked to demonstrate that she was free from drug addiction and would be safe to practice in a pharmaceutical environment.