A Fife man was snared for drug dealing during a probe into the death of his partner.
Darren McCole bought four bags of heroin and a number of Etizolam pills – known as street Valium – before returning to his home in Dunfermline, in May 2019.
Both he and his 33 year-old girlfriend went on to take some of the drugs.
McCole, 47, later went out and returned to find the woman lying on her back with her “lips blue”.
Prosecutor John Macpherson told the High Court in Glasgow: “He realised that she was dead.
“He panicked and spent the rest of the night staring at her body.”
Death rumours on social media
McCole eventually left again before word quickly spread – including on social media – about the tragedy.
He was confronted by a neighbour and confirmed his partner had died but that police had not been alerted.
Officers soon turned up and forced entry before finding the body.
McCole was questioned by police following the death and admitted drugs had been purchased.
A phone the couple used was also examined.
It contained messages to others describing the pills as “dynamite” and “s*** hot”.
Sentence cut due to tragedy
McCole, still of Dunfermline, pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of the four £10 bags of heroin and the Etizolam.
Despite the low-level, he was back at the high court due to his lengthy list of drug convictions including an eight-year jail term in 2010.
As a result, he faced a mandatory seven-year sentence.
However, after hearing from McCole’s lawyer Michael Anderson, Lord Burns instead decided to lock the dealer up for 45 months.
The judge said he had considered a number of factors including the “untimely” and “tragic death” of McCole’s girlfriend.
