A woman, found guilty of poisoning and defrauding her then-lover, was sentenced to seven years jail yesterday (22 December) in a hearing at Kingston Crown Court. 

The court heard how Lily Cartier, 53, a pharmacist and part-time glamour model, stole various prescribed medications from her place of work at Rowlands Pharmacy on Kingston Crescent. She repeatedly drugged her partner John Sherrard, who was more than 20 years her senior.  

At the same time, Cartier fraudulently obtained over £6000 using two of the victim's credit cards. 

Sherrard later died of bladder cancer in 2022. Though no direct link with the poisonings has so far been proven, the judge said it was conceivable "he might have died as a consequence".  

The victim's sister and son gave impact statements to the court, where they spoke of how he had become a "changed man" during a "prolonged period of poisoning". 

They spoke of how, during this period, he could be seen "dribbling", "slurring his words" and how at times, he "struggled to walk".  

At one point Cartier could be heard heckling the victim's son as he spoke about how his father was "deceived in his own home by someone he trusted", before being reprimanded by the judge. 

Sherrard's family became suspicious when they discovered multiple bottles of the anticoagulant drug Warfarin in Cartier's cupboards in the home she shared with the victim. 

During this period Sherrard was hospitalised, with doctors suspecting the ingestion of anticoagulant drugs. 

When police later arrested Cartier, they also found a bottle of anti-psychosis drug haloperidol in her handbag. 

The court heard how, of 34 bottles of Haloperidol ordered to Rowlands pharmacy during Cartier's employment, 32 went missing. 

The drug, which was found in hair samples taken from the victim, can cause dizziness, drowsiness and confusion, especially when taken in large quantities. 

In sentencing Cartier, the judge described her actions as "wicked", "persistent" and "deluded" for continuing to deny the evidence against her.  

The judge added that Cartier is "dangerous" and a "serious harm" to men. 

Additionally, the judge found there was "no mitigation" in Cartier's actions, whom she described as having "no remorse whatsoever".  

Sherrard's family looked relieved and could be seen nodding their heads as the judge sentenced Cartier to nine out of a maximum of ten years imprisonment.