Items seized from aesthetic clinic over intent to supply concerns

A Medicines Enforcement Officer from the Department of Health (DH) has told the trial of an aesthetics nurse that a search warrant was used to seize a number of items from her clinic because of concerns of intent to supply.

Nichola Hawes, 49, is on trial for alleged fraud and selling or supplying medicines, including weight-loss drugs and Botox, without proper prescriptions.

She runs Nichola Hawes Aesthetic Clinic on Groomsport Road in Bangor, and faces 31 charges, including fraud by false representation.

Warren McKee, a Medicines Enforcement Officer with the DH told the jury of six men and six women at Downpatrick Crown Court, that on the 28 November 2022, he seized a number of medicinal items from the clinic.

This was done under the concern that they were not going to be used for the person that they were prescribed to.

Following the search, in February 2023, Ms Hawes took part in an interview with the Medicines Regulatory Group - accompanied by her solicitor - and this interview was relayed to the court.

The court heard Ms Hawes was asked during the meeting if it was the case that she was creating a stock of prescription only medicines - so that people can walk in off the street and be treated there and then in her clinic - to which Nichola Hawes replied: "No comment."

During the meeting Ms Hawes said the majority of her clients came to her for Botox and that she had a well-established business.

She said if her clients did not go through with orders such as Botox the order was destroyed.

She also added that a new patient requesting Botox would always have to wait at least one day before receiving their treatment.

Ms Hawes was asked if she could explain why a prescription had been written for a woman called Lauren Caproni, if Ms Caproni did not receive any treatment after filling in an online questionnaire for the self-administering weight-loss drug, Ozempic.

She was also asked why would she prescribe something for somebody if they had not asked for it or received it – and questioned as to why she had a back log of Ozempic in her clinic.

To each of these questions and several others, it was relayed to the court that Ms Hawes had answered no comment.

The jury heard that Ms Hawes said she had made one mistake in relation to client Jordan Cairns - when she accidently put another client's prescription under her name, but she added that this was an administrative error.

Ms Hawes said she had full records and notes, was widely known and respected and at no point had any patient been at risk.

The jury also heard from a second Medicines Enforcement Officer, Jacqueline Pyper.

She told the court she had visited the home of a former client of Ms Hawes, Louise Abott, who had previously ordered two weight loss pens from Ms Hawes.

Ms Abott showed Ms Pyper her previous orders, which came in a box with someone else's name on it.

She also confirmed to Ms Pyper that she did not ask Ms Hawes to order a third pen for her.

The trial continues.