Surrey pharmacy worker who poisoned partner jailed

A woman's been jailed for seven years for poisoning a man and using his bank cars while he was in hospital.

53 year old Lily Cartier of Mill Lane, Felbridge, stole drugs from her work and hid them in food and drink before giving them to 71 year old Sharrard who she was living with at the time.

In February 2017 Cartier’s victim 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, who was living with John at the time, may have been poisoning him 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 confirmed 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.

The investigation continued after it was discovered that whilst John was in hospital, several transactions were made on his bank cards without his permission including jewellery, clothes and cash withdrawals totalling more than £6,000.

Cartier was charged on 11 August 2020. She pleaded not guilty to all offences and her case went to trial.

In October 2023 she was found guilty of two counts of administering a poison to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of fraud.

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

Impact statements from John’s family were read to court yesterday, one of which said:

“From an outgoing person, (John) became quiet and lost spontaneity. He physically developed a shuffling gait and an expressionless face and his speech became slower and monotonous.

"Eventually he become incoherent. 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.

"Instead, she decided to go on a shopping trip fraudulently using his bank cards. Now she is behind bars

"I hope John’s family can take some comfort that justice has been done on his behalf.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.