A man caught in possession of £11,000 of drugs in Inverness – but who left Scotland before a court appearance – was jailed for 15 months.
The city sheriff court heard that 28-year-old Michael Leckie failed to appear in court for the 2016 offence and only handed himself in to police on May 29 this year.
Defence solicitor Graham Mann told Sheriff Margaret Neilson that his client had not offended in the interim period.
But Leckie was sent to prison for 15 months, backdated to May 29, the sheriff saying: “You were concerned in the supply of a significant amount of a Class A drug and you also failed to attend at a previous hearing. Only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Leckie was staying with a friend in Glendoe Terrace, Inverness, on March 21, 2016 when police carried out a raid on the property.
Depute fiscal Alison Young said the house was unoccupied at the time police officers arrived, so they had to force entry to the property.
The raid took place at 12.55am and the search uncovered a bag of white powder behind a sofa cushion.
A set of scales and plastic bags were also found in the property.
Mrs Young said that, when he was subsequently interviewed by police, Leckie told them he had a heavy drug addiction and was in financial difficulties, and owing thousands of pounds.
Mrs Young said the powder, which tests showed was a mix of class A cocaine and another substance, benzocaine, weighed 118.5 grams.
She told the court that this amount had a potential value of £11,800.
