A PATIENT stole a sick note pad after refusing to leave a doctor’s surgery.

Christopher Entwistle, aged 30, was found guilty of theft after a trial.

He failed to attend court and the case was proved in his absence. A warrant has now been issued for his arrest.

Magistrates were told that Entwistle had an appointment with Dr Hussein Aboud at Bolton General Practice in Marsden House, Bolton, at about 5pm on March 5.

Dr Aboud told the court that the consultation “did not go very well” and that Entwistle refused to leave the room.

He added: “At that stage I asked the receptionist to call the police for him to be removed.“ Dr Aboud was the only doctor in the surgery at the time and had other patients waiting, so he went to see them in a different consultation room, leaving Entwistle on his own.

He added: “I went back about 15 minutes later and he was still sitting in the same place, but I noticed he was shoving something into his pocket.

“It was a certificate of fitness to work, there were about 15 or 20 pages in it. I leave these in my drawer in my desk and he had got them out.”

The doctor challenged Entwistle about what he was doing and he put the pad on the desk, with his hand over it.

He told the court he did not want a physical confrontation, so he took the other pads and left the room.

The court heard that Entwistle, of Spinners Mews, School Hill, left the surgery, taking the pad with him, before police arrived.

During his interview he said he screwed up a sick note and threw it in the bin.

The court heard that the sick note could be used to try to claim benefits, although it would need a signature and surgery stamp. The pads were not pre-stamped.

Magistrates found Entwistle guilty in his absence. A warrant without bail has been issued.