Pubdate: Thu, 28 Feb 2002
Source: Kingston Whig-Standard (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 The Kingston Whig-Standard
Contact:  http://www.kingstonwhigstandard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/224
Author: Arthur Milnes
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)

KP NURSE SMUGGLED DRUGS FOR INMATES

Local News - A registered nurse who worked in the prison hospital at 
Kingston Penitentiary has pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs for inmates. 
Deborah Coates, 41, who also worked at Kingston General Hospital for 17 
years, was sentenced to a nine-month jail term, to be served conditionally 
in the community.

Prosecutor Dave Crowe told Mr. Justice Rommel Masse of the Ontario Court of 
Justice yesterday that investigators learned from telephone taps that 
Coates was bringing drugs into the prison for two inmates.

"[The inmates] had Coates bring drugs into the hospital and then arrange to 
meet them to pass on the packages," Crowe said.

Security staff seized a package carried by Coates on Oct. 2, 2000, and 
found it contained 51 grams of marijuana. Coates was charged. Crowe said 
the drugs were worth more than $1,500 inside a federal prison.

Depression

Coates's lawyer, Robert Richardson, said his client suffers from severe 
depression. This made her vulnerable to preying inmates and she acted 
completely out of character, he said.

Richardson gave the judge medical and psychological reports which said 
there was little chance the nurse would commit such a crime again.

"There's no reason to believe Ms. Coates would not learn from this 
experience," Richardson told the judge when asked what might happen if the 
woman falls under someone's spell again.

The defence lawyer also said his client left Kingston because of the 
embarrassment the charge brought her and she now attends school in Welland, 
with the support of her husband and children.

Despite the seriousness of the crime, both Crowe and Richardson told Mr. 
Justice Masse they support a conditional sentence because of the woman's 
circumstances.

"Your crime constitutes a serious breach of trust," the judge told Coates. 
He said her job as a nurse was to dispense medicine and help provide 
medical care in the prison hospital. "Bringing drugs into the institution 
is a far cry from that."

He agreed to accept the conditional sentence recommendation and placed 
Coates under virtual house arrest for the first four months of the 
nine-month sentence.

She also must perform 50 hours of community service during the nine months 
of her sentence and 50 more after that.
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