A Warrawong man who forged a doctor's certificate hoping to explain his absence from reporting on bail has been sent to jail over the con.
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Craig John Denniss, 30, was issued the certificate by a GP on March 13, excusing him from reporting to police the previous day as per his bail conditions.
However, when he was stopped by police a week later and presented the document, the dates had been changed to cover the eight days from March 6 to March 14.
Officers immediately noticed the forgery.
Inquiries into the authenticity of the certificate revealed Denniss had not been to the surgery on March 6, as claimed, and had not been issued with a medical certificate until the visit on March 13.
In Port Kembla Local Court on Monday, Denniss pleaded guilty to making a false document to influence.
He also pleaded guilty to charges of forging a prescription and larceny, relating to two separate incidents, both at pharmacies.
In the first incident, last November, Denniss handed over a dodgy prescription to a Warrawong pharmacy, hoping to score some Oxycontin, which he had previously taken for a long-standing back injury.
The store's employees noticed the prescription was a fake, double checking with the apparent issuing doctor, who confirmed he hadn't treated Denniss in more than two years.
Meantime, Denniss was becoming agitated at the wait time. When he confronted pharmacy staff, they told him they knew the document was a fake and had called police.
Denniss reacted aggressively and stormed out of the store.
In the more recent incident, Denniss stole an iPhone that had been left on the counter of a Warilla pharmacy by an unsuspecting customer.
Magistrate Michael Stoddart ordered Denniss to spend a total of 11 months in jail, noting his record for dishonesty offences.
He will be eligible for release on parole next June.