Community service order for Longridge man found with cocaine in car

Nov 12 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A MAN found with five wraps of class A drugs in his car has been ordered to carry out community service.

Police stopped the car Brian Marshall was driving at around 3am on March 10 this year in the Whitburn area.

Livingston Sheriff Court heard a search of the vehicle uncovered a bag containing five wraps of cocaine in the middle plastic console.

Last week at the court Marshall, whose address was given as Church Place, Longridge, pled guilty to being in possession of the class A drugs.

The 23-year-old’s solicitor, Elaine Brunger, told the court the drugs had belonged to her client’s friend.

Ms Brunger added: “He was driving a hire car after his own car was involved in an accident. He had been out with a friend and then the police started following the vehicle his friend got out from the car and left the drugs. He knew they were there but he didn’t know it was cocaine.”

But Sheriff Donald Muirhead was not convinced.

He asked: “But he must have known it was some type of illegal drug?”

Ms Brunger replied: “Yes, it was patently obvious that it was.”

The court heard that Marshall had five previous convictions for possession of drugs.

“He doesn’t have the worst record that this court has ever seen but it is amassing,” Ms Brunger added.

“He continues to have a problem with cannabis.”

Ordering Marshall to carry out 120 hours of community service Sheriff Muirhead said: “You seem to get caught with illegal drugs from time to time and on this occasion it was a class A drug.

“Although it was not yours you knew it was there and you were responsible for it. It seems to me to have gone beyond the point that you should just be fined.

“I am going to impose a community service order and if there is any breach of this order you may be facing custody.”