A man hand-delivered a letter to staff at a city health centre threatening to kill them after taking a potentially lethal drug by mistake.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Mark Law, 40, of Provost Road, held a grudge against the NHS, and staff at Wallacetown Health Practice in particular, as he believed he had received poor treatment.
But a mix-up over what drugs he was taking, plus his mental condition, led to his “bizarre” behaviour.
Law admitted that on June 14 at Wallacetown Health Practice, Lyon Street, he behaved in a threatening and abusive manner, hand-delivering a letter containing abusive remarks regarding NHS staff, and that he made threats to kill NHS staff.
Law’s solicitor Anne Duffy told the court her client had mental health difficulties, having been diagnosed with schitzoaffective disorder. On the same day he had also taken what he believed to be heroin.
“However, it was in fact Fentanyl, which had caused a drug-induced psychosis,” she said.
“Before his arrest for this offence he had had an appointment with a psychiatrist. He accepts that he wrote that letter and hand-delivered it to the practice.
“He was taking illicit substances along with prescribed medication and he believed he was getting poor treatment from staff in the NHS.”
Mrs Duffy said Law’s GP had been involved with his treatment and there had been support for him, but he did not believe he was getting enough support.
“His behaviour is becoming somewhat bizarre of late,” she added, and asked Sheriff John Rafferty to defer sentence for a psychiatric report.
Sheriff Rafferty deferred sentence until July 27, and remanded Law in custody until his next appearance. He also ordered a psychiatric report.
Fentanyl is often compared to morphine, but there are estimates that fentanyl is anywhere from 50 to 100 times stronger, and between 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin.
Even a small amount of fentanyl can lead to a fatal overdose.
Accidentally inhaling fentanyl can cause dizziness and shortness of breath.
There’s also a trend for fentanyl mixed with heroin to increase the strength.
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