Cops found heroin bag on coffee table

A Stirling man who owned up to having heroin worth £40 at a Cornton house was this week placed on a year’s supervision.

Brendan Hammill had admitted a charge of possessing the class-A drug at an address in Strathmore Drive on September 22 last year.

Stirling Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday that police had attended the address that day on an unrelated matter.

Fiscal depute Lindsey Brooks said Hammill was at the property where a bag containing brown powder“was on open display on a coffee table.”

Hammill told the officers:‘That bag of brown is mine.’

Ms Brooks said the bag, when tested, was found to be heroin weighing 0.4g and worth £40.

Hammill’s agent Ken Dalling told Sheriff Pino Di Emidio his client had been a visitor in the Strathmore Drive house that day and did not want anyone else to be blamed.

Hammill had admitted the offence when the matter first called in court, the solicitor added.

Forty-four-year-old Hammill also appeared on a separate complaint, admitting charges of possessing the class-C drug Etizolam, known as ‘street valium’at his Johnston Avenue home on May 29 last year as well as a sharply-pointed blade (nail scissors).

Ms Brooks had also told the court that police officers were in Johnston Avenue at 5.15pm on May 29 after receiving intelligence and saw

Hammill behaving suspiciously.

As a result he was detained under the Misuse of Drugs Act and searched. Hammill was found to have two wraps, or plastic bags, containing white tablets as well as a pair of scissors.

Another wrap of white tablets was recovered from the accused.

Ms Brooks said one of the wraps contained 15 tablets, the second 14 and the third 98. The tablets were valued at £1 each.

Mr Dalling told Sheriff Di Emidio that Hammill had the scissors for a podiatry problem which he would deal with“on the move.”

Hammill had a chronic carditis condition. He had also suffered a stroke. Both were drug related and required medication.

Sheriff Di Emidio observed that‘street valium’Etizolam was a substance available “entirely legally for mental health difficulties” but added:“I’m learning that Etizolam is particularly prevalent in this area.”

Mr Dalling said Hammill was willing to undertake supervision as an alternative to imprisonment as outlined in a report prepared for the court.

Sheriff Di Emidio followed the recommendation and sentenced Hammill to a community payback order with a year’s supervision.

Hammill was admonished and dismissed on the charges involving the Etizolam and scissors.