A nurse who became addicted to pain-killing drugs made out false prescriptions to get 13,000 pills from a local pharmacy, magistrates heard.

Philippa Scott, 28, of St Hilda's Close, Didcot, worked at the Oak Tree health centre at Ladygrove in the town and used the names of elderly patients to get drugs. She forged a doctor's signature and then took them to the pharmacy.

Rebecca Waller, prosecuting, told Didcot magistrates that staff at the pharmacy used by the practice became concerned at the large quantity of painkillers prescribed for one patient who later said she had never had them.

Prescriptions were also processed by the pharmacy in the names of other elderly patients who had not been prescribed the drugs by GPs.

Mrs Waller said: "The prescriptions were made out for a combination of drugs - Co-Proxamol and Dihydrocodeine for ten patients. The painkillers are only available on prescription.

"Over a period of a year, Scott presented about 70 prescriptions for 119 items. The pharmacy handed over 13,000 pills to her."

Scott admitted nine charges of using a prescription knowing or believing it to be false between July last year and July this year, and asked for 63 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

She was sentenced to 100 hours' community service, put on probation for 12 months and ordered to pay 45 costs.

Mrs Waller said Scott told police she had had a car accident and suffered from other problems for which she was prescribed painkillers by her doctor. She then became addicted to them.