Drugs-drive shame of ‘poster boy’ pupil
Reformed tearaway took cocaine and ecstasy
A POsteR boy for a scottish Government scheme to put tearaways back on the straight and narrow almost died when he drove on a motorway after downing a cocktail of Class A drugs.
Chester Jarron’s life was saved by off- duty medics who spotted him having seizures at the wheel after taking ecstasy and cocaine.
Jarron, 26, ended up in a coma in intensive care after being found at the side of the M90 near Kelty in Fife as he drove to work on a farm.
In 2005, he had been part of a scottish Government-backed college scheme. he featured as an example of an inner-city youth plucked from a deprived background to t r ai n at Oatridge College in Broxburn, West Lothian, for a future in rural working.
At Perth sheriff Court Jar- ron, of Burntisland, Fife, was banned for two years and fined £600 after admitting driving while unfit through drink or drugs on september 8.
Fiscal depute tina Dickie told the court yesterday Jarron had been at a friend’s party in Dunfermline the night before and had driven several friends back to edinburgh.
she said: ‘Between midnight and 4am on sunday, the accused is believed to have consumed a quantity of cocaine and ecstasy. At 7am, he left edinburgh to attend work at a farm near Kinross.
‘At 7.30am, ambulance staff were travelling on the M90 at the end of their shift. they noted his BMW parked on the northbound hard shoulder near Junction 4.
‘ they noticed a male slumped over the steering
‘Agitated and
confused’
wheel and exited the motorway to assist. they found the accused alone in the driver’s seat. he appeared to be having a seizure, so they called an ambulance.
‘he was unresponsive. his airway was blocked, so they removed him from the car and put him on the verge.
‘he jumped up and became agitated and confused. he was possibly hallucinating. he was s weating profusely a nd talking, but not making any sense. he stated he had taken white powder but did not know what it was.’
Jarron was taken to the intensive care unit at the Victoria hospital in Dunfermline, but released two days later.
Alison McKay, defending, said: ‘ he had not previously taken drugs but had succumbed to peer pressure while he was with friends.
‘he has little or no memory until waking up in hospital. his condition was life-threatening. his parents were horrified and concerned that he was likely to die.
‘he might not be here without the luck of having an offduty ambulance officer spotting him on the hard shoulder.’
Mrs McKay said a ban would badly affect Jarron’s family as he regularly drove his father to work at the Royal Blind school in edinburgh.
But sheriff Fiona tait said she had to ‘balance your personal circumstances against the public interest’.