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A Merseyside pharmacy technician who was convicted last year of assaulting two police officers and possessing a kitchen knife in public has received a warning from the General Pharmaceutical Council after it identified “exceptional” mitigating circumstances in her case.

Claire MacWhirter received a fully suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay compensation and a court surcharge after pleading guilty to the charges against her at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court last July. She self-reported her conviction to the regulator within seven days.

The GPhC’s fitness to practise committee heard that on June 2, 2025 Ms MacWhirter was seen in public chasing two people with a kitchen knife and then entering a nearby property, which was reported to the police.

Officers attending the address found the door had been egged, and upon encountering Ms MacWhirter described her behaviour as “erratic,” with a 45-minute struggle ensuing in which she “kicked out recklessly” and appeared to be “under the influence” according to one officer’s witness statement. The officers did not suffer any visible injuries.

In her police statement, she said a local man who she described as a drug dealer had come to her house “with a knife and eggs” while her son was asleep in the house, adding that she “ran back at ‘em”.

She also told police that someone had attempted to “boot” her door in on several occasions.

In a statement provided to the GPhC in April 2026, she expressed her “deep remorse” for her “unacceptable behaviour” and said she has made positive changes to her lifestyle, including addressing the impact her alcohol use had had on her behaviour.

She said: “I have successfully returned to work on a part-time basis with no absence or incidents, demonstrating my ability to practise safely and responsibly.

“There have been no further police incidents.

“This incident has had a profound impact on me.

“I feel deep remorse and recognise that my behaviour fell far below the standards expected of a pharmacy technician.”

At the hearing, she told the FtP committee she lived in “a very rough area” and had been receiving “threatening messages” in the period leading up to June 2, 2025.

 Of her interaction with the police on that day, she said: “That is not who I am, it was a crazy hour of my life. I am sorry and will never ever do it again.”

The FtP committee heard Ms MacWhirter has received significant support from her employers and colleagues at Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and successfully returned to work in August 2025.

The committee described this as “a particularly unusual and exceptional case” due to the “very difficult circumstances she had been facing at the time.

While it described her conduct as unacceptable and in breach of professional standards, it identified “significant mitigating factors,” including her insight into her previous misconduct.

She complied with rehabilitation requirement and has paid most of the ordered compensation, court surcharges and costs, and her suspended sentence will expire on August 12 this year, the committee noted.

The committee issued Ms MacWhirter with a warning, which will appear on her register entry for 12 months, concluding that this outcome “would meet the need for public acknowledgement that the registrant’s convictions had been unacceptable”.

“Any greater outcome would be disproportionate and punitive on the registrant,” who is “otherwise of good character and a competent pharmacy technician,” the committee concluded.