A trainee anaesthetist faces jail for stealing drugs from the hospital where he worked with plans to use some of them for "sexual activity" with a girlfriend.

Jonathon Dean, of Poplar, confessed yesterday (November 24) to stealing drugs, including morphine, from Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone.

According to Judge Philip Grey, at least some of these stolen anaesthetic drugs were intended “for sexual activity with Miss (Tara) Slade”.

The judge told Huntingdon Crown Court it was “plain (Miss Slade) was anaesthetised”.

He further noted that Dean "knew full well he shouldn’t take drugs (from the hospital) or use them in this way".

The judge said Dean was “finished as a doctor”, and adjourned the case while reports are prepared about the defendant.

Dean was about to stand trial when he confessed to nine incidents of drug theft from Whipps Cross Hospital.

Five of the nine incidents, involving the drugs cyclizine, ondansetron, propofol, midazolam and morphine, supposedly took place on or before December 14, 2018.

Three of the counts, involving cyclizine, ondansetron and morphine, were said to have happened on or before January 28, 2019.

The last theft of propofol reportedly happened between January 21 and March 21 this year.

Dean also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

These charges were for possessing the class A drug morphine on January 28, 2019 and the class C drug midazolam on December 14, 2018.

Dean disputed a count of unlawfully administering a noxious substance, a mixture of morphine, propofol and midazolam, to Tara Slade with intent to endanger life.

Judge Grey informed the jury: "You were about to start trying Mr Dean on charges which related to the theft of anaesthetic drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital where he was a trainee anaesthetist."

He said Dean had pleaded guilty to the thefts and that the prosecution were not seeking a trial on the one outstanding charge so “there is not going to be a trial”.

Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly added that Dean has currently been "suspended on full pay".

Dean will be sentenced on February 16 at either Huntingdon Crown Court or Cambridge Crown Court.

The judge granted him bail but told him that a prison sentence was “overwhelmingly the most likely outcome in these proceedings”.

Reporting by PA.