Stenhousemuir woman punished after police uncover diamorphine stash at home

Officers were granted a licence to search Coralie Neilson’s property on August 4, 2020 and found 20 wraps of brown powder which turned out to be diamorphine.

Neilson, 58, 129 James Street, Stenhousemuir, admitted being concerned in the supply of diamorphine to another or others.

She appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday where procurator fiscal depute Rachel Wallace said “£420, a mobile phone and a book containing a tic list” were also recovered.

The fiscal depute added: “The powder tested positive for diamorphine with a street value of approximately £727.

“The accused was interviewed and made a full admission. She was cautioned and charged and made no reply.”

Defence solicitor Simon Hutchison said his client, who is a first offender, had been in an “abusive relationship”.

The lawyer added: “When he left, he left a significant drug debt and left her to pay it.

“She suffers from some significant health problems.

“She tells me, as long as any unpaid work was of light duties, she’d be happy to do that. She can benefit from supervision and it looks like she’s been put in a situation where she had no choice.”

Sheriff Christopher Shead said: “This is a serious matter for a summary complaint.”

Sheriff Shead took into consideration Neilson’s personal circumstances and the fact she did not have a record.

Neilson was ordered to complete 225 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V