Surrey pharmacy worker poisoned her partner to get thousands of pounds

Lily Cartier, 53 of Mill Lane Felbridge near East Grinstead, stole drugs from her work and put them in food and drink given to her partner.

When John Sharrard, who was 71 years-old, was admitted to hospital feeling unwell, Cartier used his bank cards without his permission.

She withdrew cash and bought jewellery and clothes totalling more than £6000.

She was found guilty of two counts of administering a poison to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of fraud and jailed for seven years.

In February 2017 Cartier’s victim, John Sharrard, 71, began to feel unwell and was referred for medical tests.

The cause of his symptoms was unconfirmed, though doctors suspected he had Parkinson’s disease due to difficulties he was having with muscle spasms and his mental faculties slowing.

John continued to feel unwell through to October that year when he collapsed twice and was admitted to hospital on each occasion.

His brother raised concerns that Cartier may have been poisoning John and reported this to Surrey Police.

Further tests by medical professionals found warfarin in John’s blood - an anticoagulant drug that could lead to serious bleeding. 

A head hair sample taken by a Surrey Police Scenes of Crime Officer also detected haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug.

John Sharrard confirmed that he had not knowingly taken either of these drugs and began to suspect his partner had put them in his food or drink.

His brother also shared concerns that Cartier, as a pharmacy worker, had access to drugs through her work.

In November 2017 Cartier was arrested and haloperidol was found in her handbag at the time, with warfarin found later in her bedside cabinet.

Whilst Cartier was in custody, John made a full recovery.

Since Cartier’s arrest in 2017, John Sharrard has sadly passed away due to an unrelated medical issue.

In an impact statement, John’s brother said: "This appalling callous woman put so little value on my brother’s life.

"It is hard to believe that a human being could treat another in this cruel way.

"John was put through unimaginable suffering by Lily Cartier because of her greed."

DC Kieran Gamble said: "This is a horrific case in which Cartier deliberately poisoned someone who trusted her over a prolonged period of time.

"She was planned and meticulous as she carried out her crimes and showed no remorse for John’s suffering when he lay in hospital."