Sentence deferred

A FORT William man’s drug addiction came to light when he was taken ill and rushed to the Belford Hospital.

The town’s sheriff court heard on Tuesday that Alasdair Christopher Kelly, 46, of Flat 1, 33 High Street, Fort William, ended up in hospital for seven days in a medically-induced coma after falling ill.

Kelly admitted possessing heroin on August 4 last year at his then home at Brown Court in the town.

Procurator fiscal Andrew Shanks said that the 7.1g ‘had a value of between £200 and £250 in the form it was seized’.

Hamish Melrose, defence agent, said that Kelly had begun to use heroin five years ago during the time he was acting as carer for both his parents. ‘Since his illness he has not taken any drugs,’ he added. Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood deferred sentence until July 18 for a community justice and social work report to be prepared on Kelly.