Heroin pair before sheriff court

A couple who were found with heroin appeared in the dock at Lerwick Sheriff Court today.

Kazia Smith, 30, of Meadowfield Crescent in Scalloway admitted having the class A drug at her home address on 13th February.

Appearing alongside her, Andrew Gibson, 35, from the same address also admitted having heroin at an address in Lerwick’s Grodians a month earlier.

The court heard Smith had suffered ongoing difficulties with drugs, and was going through a bad period at the time of the offence.

She was found to have seven bags of heroin worth £140 – all for her personal use.

Defence agent Liam McAllister said Smith had suffered an ongoing difficulty with the drug for a significant period, but he insisted her situation had become more stable.

She was engaging with drugs advice service CADSS, and there was a chance of a residential placement which should address her problems.

Mr McAllister urged sheriff Philip Mann to defer sentence to show her offending was an isolated incident.

But sheriff Mann said he would “draw a line” under the incident and fined her £350.

Meanwhile Gibson had been found with heroin worth “in the region of” £80.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said Gibson still had half a day to complete of an unpaid work order, which had now come to its end.

He said Gibson was keen to pursue the option of carrying out a Drug Treatment and Testing Order.

He had failed to complete one in the past because he had, at the time, no fixed address. But Mr Allan had insisted he would now “welcome” the opportunity.

Sheriff Mann was not so sure. He said Gibson did not appear to comply with court orders.

He deferred sentence on Gibson for two months for good behaviour, but ordered he carry out an additional 25 hours to mark the breach of the community payback order.