A man died hours after taking painkillers given by his friend during a night of drinking in Fife.
Aiden Reid passed away in the early hours of the morning of June 12 last year at a property in Anstruther.
Shane Whyte previously admitted supplying Mr Reid with the Class A drug oxycodone that night.
A sheriff who imposed a direct alternative to custody told the 48-year-old accused that Mr Reid mixing alcohol with the drugs Whyte supplied “may or may not have killed the man.”
Did not wake after taking drugs
Fiscal depute Kate Scarborough said Mr Reid had complained to Whyte about pain he was experiencing.
Whyte responded by offering him a box of oxycodone tablets – an opioid painkiller used to treat pain, including from cancer.
The pair spent the remainder of the small hours drinking alcohol and at some point, Mr Reid fell asleep.
He did not wake up and emergency services were contacted.
Online NHS advice states mixing oxycodone with alcohol “may increase the risk of serious side effects.”
At a hearing in July, Whyte admitted supplying Mr Reid with the Class A drug at a property in Anstruther’s Watson Place.
Sentencing had been deferred for background reports but Whyte missed the hearing and appeared from custody on Monday at Dundee Sheriff Court.
His solicitor Doug McConnell said: “The reason why he wasn’t here on August 15 was he was admitted to hospital.
“He’s been diagnosed with bladder cancer.”
‘Irresponsibility of the grossest kind’
Sheriff Alastair Brown told Whyte: “There are a number of things that can be said.
“Firstly, combining alcohol with painkillers is always a very bad idea.
“It may or may not have been what killed the man, but alcohol and painkillers never mix.
“Secondly is that oxycodone is on prescription for a reason.
“The reason is to allow a doctor to decide whether it is a suitable medication for the patient to take.
“To share it with someone that has not had that is irresponsibility of the grossest kind.”
Sheriff Brown imposed a two month restriction of liberty order, keeping Whyte in his home at Glenrothes from 7pm to 7am each night.
The sheriff said he took particular regard to Whyte’s medical difficulties and stressed if there is an emergency at night, he should seek treatment.
He said: “It’s an alternative to custody.
“Custody is the appropriate sentence for supplying Class A drugs, whatever the circumstances.
“If you breach the order, you’ll be brought back to court.”
For more local court content visit our dedicated page, or join us on Facebook.
