A man will miss the birth of his child after being jailed for trying to smuggle more than £4000 of drugs into T in the Park.
Callum Neason was caught with ecstasy and alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, a synthetic stimulant, at the music festival on July 9 last year.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that police had overheard the 23-year-old boasting that he had “pills” with him as he queued to enter the grounds at Strathallan Castle.
Fiscal depute Rebecca Kynaston said: “Police officers were conducting an exercise at the west gate.
“Their attention was drawn to a male who they had overheard saying had pills with him. They moved towards him with the police dog.
“Officers then observed that the accused was acting in an agitated manner and attempting to move away from the police dog.
“They then identified themselves as police officers to the accused. He dropped the black sports bag he was carrying and made off.”
Police made chase and managed to stop Neason before taking him to a search area.
Mrs Kynaston continued: “The accused said he had a bag down his trousers. A large plastic bag was taped to his underwear and it contained a large quantity of blue and white capsules, and white crystals.”
She said the street value of the ecstacy was £2,740, while the alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone was worth between £1,040 and £1,300.
Neason’s solicitor Harvie Diamond urged Sheriff Fiona Tait to spare him a jail sentence.
Mr Diamond said that Neason was in employment and that his girlfriend is due to give birth in three months.
He said: “I think I am right in saying that he’s learnt his lesson from this. He’s very, very apprehensive about what’s going to happen today.”
Neason, of Beaully Crescent, Wishaw, admitted having ecstasy and alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone at T in the Park, Strathallan Castle, on June 9 2015 with intent to supply.
Jailing him for 18 months, Sheriff Tait said: “The difficulty is the nature of the charge – the court takes a very serious view of these offences.”
