A PHARMACIST has been jailed after fraudulently claiming more than £32,000 from the NHS.

Rashad Arif, 34, committed the offences while working at the Riverside Winton Pharmacy in Wimborne Road, Bournemouth.

Arif, from High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.

He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court to eight months’ imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently.

The court heard how Arif submitted stolen prescriptions for payment and forged others by changing the quantities of medication or details of the patients.

Detective Constable Steven May, of Bournemouth CID, said: “This is a despicable crime. Arif consciously and deliberately set out to steal a large amount of money from the NHS.

“The court has recognised the seriousness of this crime and has rightly handed him a custodial sentence.”