Hawick drug dealer caught with almost £9,000 worth of cannabis spared jail and given supervision order instead

Ashleigh Stormont, 36, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of the class-B drug in Hawick last February.

The court heard that police, after seeing a Mercedes car take a sharp right-hand turn upon spotting them in the Loan, pursued it and noticed a strong smell of cannabis once they’d stopped it.

Three bags of herbal cannabis of what were said to be significant weights were seized.

His home in Hawick High Street was then searched too but nothing else was found.

On being cautioned and charged, Stormont said: “I should not have done it.”

Defence lawyer Stephanie Clinkscale said her client is now ashamed and remorseful about having dealt drugs.

Sheriff Peter Anderson told Stormont that though some people might view cannabis as a recreational drug, he was profiteering by trafficking and a prison sentence would be merited.

He took into account the remorse shown by Stormont and character references he provided, however, to offer an alternative to jail in the form of a two-year community payback order including supervision and 225 hours’ unpaid work.