Man banned from leaving home at night

[grace]

Man banned from leaving home at night

13/01/2009

The Press and Journal

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.a...990651?UserKey=

 

AN ELGIN drug dealer will have to stay in his house overnight for the next 10 weeks after being convicted of supplying almost 10oz of cannabis resin.

 

Michael Stanford, 25, of 4 School Brae Place, appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court for sentence after pleading guilty during a court appearance last month.

 

He had been charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis resin and possession of the drug at his address between August 1 and November 25 last year.

 

Fiscal depute Shona Duncan had previously told the court that police were acting on intelligence when they searched the house on November 25.

 

When they arrived with a search warrant, Stanford was asked if he had any drugs in the house, Miss Duncan said. “He told them he had about 6oz in the kitchen,” she said.

 

Ms Duncan told the court Stanford had shown officers the lower drawer of a cooker, where they found a slab of a brown substance wrapped in clingwrap and also a “two-finger-sized” amount.

 

She added: “Officers carried out another search of the cooker and found a tick list, scales and £440 in cash. An envelope containing £705, a butane torch and a knife stained with a brown substance were also recovered, with numerous empty containers and drug paraphernalia.

 

“The rest of the house was searched and a further two pieces of cannabis were found.”

 

A total of 9.6oz (273 grams) were recovered, worth at least £845.

 

When questioned by the police, Stanford admitted they were drugs.

 

Solicitor Ian Cruickshank told the court his client was unemployed and had “inadvertently supplied drugs to a number of people”.

 

“He accepted his involvement from the outset,” Mr Cruickshank added.

 

Sheriff Noel McPartlin told Stanford that the supply of any controlled drug was a serious matter, “even if there had been no commercial gain”.

 

Stanford was given a restriction-of-liberty order that will ban him from leaving his house between 9pm and 6am for the next 10 weeks. The £440 recovered by police was seized but the £705 will be returned.