Two men to face trial over ‘danger to life’ vape shop substances

It is claimed they caused injury to eight customers at their stores across Angus and Tayside

Two men are to stand trial accused of supplying “psychoactive substances” that they “knew would cause danger to health and life” to customers – some as young as 13 – at their vaping shops.

Liston Pacitti and Paul Brocklehurst face charges of supplying substances such as “Happy Joker”, “Voodoo Gold”, “Sky High”, “Go-Gaine”, “Happy Me Euphor-E”, “Charly Sheen” and “Ching” – all said to be “new psychoactive substances” (NPS) – from five shops in Arbroath, Montrose and Perth over a three-and-a-half year period.

It is said they “caused injury” to eight customers at their shops – Declaration and Evape-O-Lution in Arbroath, The High Life and Evape-O-Lution in Montrose and This ‘N That in Perth.

They are further alleged to have endangered the lives of a string of others – with one of the alleged victims said to be aged just 13.

Prosecutors say the substances they sold were “not fit for human consumption, would cause danger to health and life if consumed and which they knew were being consumed or were intended to be consumed” by the buyers.

They are further accused of supplying, along with the NPS substances, quantities of bongs, hoses, grinders, pipes, cutting tools, odour-proof bags, lighters, smoking papers, filter tips, rolling mats and scales to “provide a means of ingesting” the substances.

A second charge alleges the pair possessed a class B drug known as benzofuran on July 7 2014 at their shop in Brothock Bridge, Arbroath.

Pacitti, 28, of Deveron Road, Aberdeen, and Brockleshurst, 61, of Glen Afron, Tregarth, Wales, both deny charges on indictment of culpable and reckless conduct to the danger of life and one under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Lawyers for both Pacitti and Brocklehurst told Dundee Sheriff Court they were pleading not guilty to the charges. Sheriff Alastair Brown set a further pre-trial hearing next month.

Prosecutors say the substances they sold were ‘not fit for human consumption’