Chemist Adam Chinotti avoids jail for theft, sale of drugs to Broome’s Jordan Sherwood who took his own life

The family of a Broome man who took his own life while under the influence of stolen prescription drugs sold to him by a pharmacist say they are “disgusted” by the court system which sentenced the man to a suspended jail sentence and a fine. Jordan Sherwood was pursuing a promising career as an air-conditioning apprentice in Broome when, in November last year, he purchased the prescription drug diazepam, more commonly known as Valium, from Adam Chinotti. The Derby pharmacist, 31, stole the drugs from his workplace, Kimberley Pharmacy, and then sold sixty tablets to Mr Sherwood. A month later the 20-year-old took all the tablets on one night before jumping off a telecommunications tower. Toxicology reports revealed Mr Sherwood had a high level of diazepam in his system at the time of his death. Mr Sherwood had no prior documented mental health issues and his father, Jason Sherwood, said just hours before taking his own life he had been planning a trip to Perth to visit his brother. Chinotti was last week convicted of stealing and dealing prescription drugs after pleading guilty to a raft of chages that included possessing an unlicensed firearm. He was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and fined $500 in Derby Magistrate’s Court. “The accused supplied the male with 60 tablets of Diazepam in exchange for cash. The male took all the tablets that night and later took his own life,” Prosecutor Sergeant Paul Smith told the court. Deputy Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Woods said while Chinotti had abused his position of trust within the pharmacy, Mr Sherwood’s death could not have been foreseen. “You chose to help yourself to the items at the pharmacy, and then supplied a number of these items to another individual, which obviously is a serious offence in itself, and led, ultimately, to an outcome which I’m sure no one could necessarily predict but is not relevant to this sentencing exercise,” she said. Jason Sherwood said the family weren’t given the chance to provide victim impact statements. “It’s just disgusting. He got a slap on the wrist and is currently holidaying around the state. We lost our son,” he said. “I’m not saying Jordan is completely free of responsibility, he took the drugs. “But this guy wasn’t some random street dealer. He’s been to university to study the effects of this stuff. He knows how dangerous these drugs are. Just because he wanted to make a quick buck we’ve now lost our son.” Mr Sherwood said beyond wanting justice for his son, he was worried the sentence would do nothing to stop similar cases around the country. “What message does that sentence send? Steal life-threatening drugs, sell them to young people who have no clue what they’re doing and you can cop a $500 fine and continue on your way,” he said. “There needs to be some serious change.” Chinotti, had been stealing drugs for up to 18 months before he was caught. He is also being investigated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and could be banned from working as a chemist in all states and territories by AHPRA.