£800 fine for drugs

A long-term Perth drug abuser who used cannabis to combat his insomnia was fined £800 when he appeared for sentence at the Sheriff Court this week.

The court was told that police obtained a search warrant for Alexander Fairlie’s flat at Croft Bank, Craigie - and seized 27.8 grammes of the class B drug, worth an estimated £278.

The 36-year-old admitted having the drug in his possession at his home on December 3, 2019.

A not guilty plea was accepted to a second charge of having cannabis resin.

Lawyer Pauline Cullerton explained:“He suffers from insomnia and was using cannabis solely for the purpose of getting a good night’s sleep.

“He is no longer using cannabis and has replaced it with tobacco.”

Passing sentence, Sheriff William Wood noted:“You come before the court with a number of analogous previous convictions. I intend to impose a fine which will mark the court’s displeasure in a way you will remember.”

Fairlie, said to have personal savings, was given 28 days to pay the fine.

A previous sheriff noted that the accused’s drug taking had been“an ongoing issue for a number of years.”