Jail term for heroin addict found lying in bin recess

A HEROIN addict who was found in a comatose, drug induced state in two public places in Dundee has been jailed for six months.

John Lawrie, 31, of Earn Crescent, admitted that on July 5, within the common bin recess at Pleasance Court, Lower Pleasance, he culpably and recklessly discarded uncapped hypodermic syringes and drug paraphernalia and exposed the lieges to the risk of injury and infection.

He further admitted a similar charge, committed on July 26, in a common close at Union Street.

Depute fiscal Joanne Smith told Dundee Sheriff Court a resident was leaving for work on July 5 and saw Lawrie lying sleeping on the ground in the bin recess along with another person.

There were needles lying beside them and the woman checked both were breathing before calling police as she was alarmed by their condition and realised that both were heavily under the influence of drugs.

When police arrived the accused was still asleep and the drugs paraphernalia was lying around them.

Police officers attempted to wake them up but to no avail, she said.

They were found outside a private block of flats, the fiscal added.

On the second occasion, just after midnight, on the stairwell of Union Street, which has a secure entry at the common close, a resident heard banging noises and looked through the peephole and saw two people standing there.

The accused was later seen hunched over a cooking pot with heroin on a spoon.

Police were called and when they arrived the accused was seen to be in a heap in a drug induced state, surrounded by drugs paraphernalia and was taken to Ninewells Hospital where he refused treatment.

Solicitor Laura Caird told the court, “He can’t recall anything, he was under the influence of drugs.”

Miss Caird asked Sheriff Kevin Veal to consider a non-custodial sentence to allow Lawrie to engage with drug agencies, however Sheriff Veal said there was no alternative to custody.

He said: “These charges are serious matters, they occurred in a tenement where families live and there is always a risk that children would come across them. A period of custody is appropriate in the interests of public safety.”

He jailed Lawrie for six months.