News / Court round up
A MAN from Falkirk who admitted taking cocaine with a potential value of nearly £2,000 into Shetland to share between himself and two friends will be sentenced in October.
David Leadbetter, of Munro Gardens, Laurieston, clubbed together with two other people to buy the class A drug on the UK mainland because it was more expensive in Shetland.
On Thursday at Lerwick Sheriff Court, the 47 year old admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine on the A970 road in Brae on 21 September last year.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said police had intelligence that Leadbetter was coming off the ferry in Lerwick after travelling from Aberdeen.
They stopped him while he was en route to his workplace at the time, the Shetland Gas Plant.
Police found 39.15 grams of cocaine in his vehicle, which had a maximum potential value of £1,900.
It was accepted that the dealing was confined to a “circle of friends”, Mackenzie said, with Leadbetter the one heading south to buy the cocaine.
The 47 year old also had £549 on him in cash at the time of the police search.
Defence agent Gordon Nicol said his client and two friends all clubbed together a total of £750 to buy the drugs, which were not intended to be resold.
Leadbetter, who now works as a touch screen tester in Falkirk, “realises the stupidity” of his actions and that he is the one who should be held responsible.
Sheriff Philip Mann said while the cocaine was bought for friends, Leadbetter was “still responsible for putting drugs into circulation” in Shetland.
He deferred sentence until 12 October for social work reports to be prepared, with Leadbetter’s bail continued.
Sheriff Mann also granted a crown motion to forfeit the cash found by the police.
A MAN from Lerwick who spat in a police constable’s face and repeatedly walked into the road in front of oncoming traffic has been sent to jail.
Martin MacDonald, of Robertson Lane, was sent to prison for four months after appearing from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
The 43 year old previously admitted assaulting a constable at Lerwick Police Station on 10 August, then in execution of her duties, and spitting on her face and body.
He also pled guilty to walking back and forth onto the road at Lerwick’s Lochside into the path of oncoming vehicles, forcing motorists to take evasive action, the day before.
Police also found 30 tablets of the class C substance diazepam in MacDonald’s possession. All of the offences were committed while on bail.
Defence agent Tommy Allan raised the issue of MacDonald’s mental health and said he had been surprised to hear that his client had no assistance in that regard while he had been in custody.
He seemed to be in a “world of his own” and had been exhibiting “delusional behaviour for some time”.
Allan said MacDonald had a fixation with astrology, including galaxies, moons and stars, and that his family were “deeply worried and concerned” about his safety.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie denied that MacDonald had been lacking in mental health support and that his problems stemmed from drug use – something a local psychiatrist was able to back up.
Sheriff Philip Mann ruled that spitting on a police constable was a “nasty and horrible thing to do” particularly as there would be a risk of contracting disease.
MacDonald gestured that he wanted to speak and talked about “moons and stars”, but the sheriff told him to relay his thoughts via his solicitor instead.
Sheriff Mann gave him a total of four months in jail and backdated the sentence to when he first entered custody on 11 August.
A Shetland Gas Plant worker who had “two pints of beer” at a pub before driving has lost his licence.
Ian Malone, whose address was given as Moorfield Hotel, Brae, drove with 28 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath on the B9076 between Brae and Sella Ness on 12 August. The limit is 22 microgrammes.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday that police officers on patrol saw the 33 year old go into a parked vehicle after leaving a pub.
They followed him to the Sella Ness accommodation block and smelled alcohol on his breath when they spoke to him.
Malone failed a roadside screening test and was arrested before being taken to the police station.
Representing himself, the gas plant worker, who admitted the charge, said he only had “two pints of beer” and thought he would be under the limit.
Sheriff Philip Mann disqualified Malone from driving for 12 months and fined him £400.
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