Sixth year boy supplied drugs to younger pupils
A FORMER Dornoch Academy pupil, who supplied a prescription drug to two younger pupils, narrowly escaped a jail sentence this week.
Instead William Johnson (17), 24 Macdonald Road, Dornoch, was given a Community Payback Order.
Dornoch Sheriff Court heard that a 14-year-old pupil felt numb and vomited after taking two of the Tramadol tablets supplied by Johnson, then a sixth-year-pupil.
The drug, a strong painkiller, had been prescribed to Johnson's mother.
Johnson had admitted at a previous court culpably and recklessly supplying two pupils, aged 14 and 15, with the tablets to the danger of their health at Dornoch Academy on Wednesday, 2nd November, last year.
The charge also stated that Johnson did induce the 15-year-old to consume the tablets and cause him to vomit.
Sentence was deferred until Monday's court for background reports.
Procurator fiscal Roderick Urquhart said the offence had come to light on the morning of 2nd November after Johnson became involved in a fight with another pupil and a principal teacher was called to the scene.
"The teacher investigated and spoke to the accused and another boy who said that he had started the fight because he had heard about Johnson supplying drugs and had taken it upon himself to deal with the matter and show his disapproval," said the fiscal.
Police, alerted by the school, interviewed a number of pupils and ascertained that Johnson had been seen with a blister pack of Tramadol. One pupil claimed to have been asked by Johnson at morning break if he wanted Tramadol.
Said the fiscal: "Police later spoke to the second boy referred to in the charge. He had swallowed two of the tablets and began to feel sick and numb. He threw a third tablet away."
When challenged by officers, Johnson denied that he had offered the pills to pupils and instead claimed he had been asked for them.
"They had been prescribed to his mother and he had taken them himself on a previous occasion," said the fiscal. "He said they made him feel 'buzzed and awake'."
Continued Mr Urquhart: "Tramadol is a powerful opiod; it is a pain relieving drug only available on prescription. It is not prescribed to children under 16. One of its recognised side effects is vomiting. It is a dangerous drug and an overdose can prove fatal."
Defence agent Stephen Lennon described his client as a "shy, naive and withdrawn young man" who had given in to peer pressure to provide the tablets.
"He did not have enough confidence to stand up to these people who asked him to pass on the drug," claimed the lawyer.
"He took the tablets himself and they did not have a great effect on him so he thought it would be okay to pass them on.
"He accepts he should never have gone down this route. I do not think he will be foolish enough to do this again. He is intelligent enough to realise the consequences."
Mr Lennon revealed that Johnson had decided not to return to school, although he had been invited to re-sit his exams. He had no job and no income.
However Sheriff David Sutherland challenged the picture painted of Johnson by the defence lawyer.
"I don't think your client does appreciate how serious this is – or at least that is the impression I get from reading the background reports," said the sheriff.
"This could have ended up in death. He was a sixth-year-pupil at the time and he supplied the tablets to a 14-year-old child. How could he feel peer pressure from a 14-year-old?"
Going on to impose the Community Pay Back Order, Sheriff Sutherland said: "It is with some hesitation that I will not impose a custodial sentence today. But please understand, Mr Johnson, that you have narrowly missed custody.
"Any breach of this order will almost automatically mean you will go to jail."
As part of the order, Johnson will be supervised by social workers for two years and will also have to undertake 200 hours' unpaid work in the community.
