A FRIOCKHEIM woman found guilty of supplying heroin to a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment at Arbroath Sheriff Court yesterday.

Louise Magdalena Dickson (31) who usually lives in Guthrie Street, but who has been held on remand in HMP Cornton Vale since being arrested and charged in December, was found guilty at a jury trial that between July 1 and December 3 at her home and at Arbroath Railway Station and elsewhere, she had been concerned in the supply of heroin to Mechelle Brown and the 14-year-old.

Dickson had also previously admitted that between September 15 and September 21 at her home address she was concerned in the supply of heroin and diazepam while on bail, and that on September 21 at her home address she was in possession of heroin, diazepam, cocaine and cannabis.

She had also previously admitted that on May 18 at W. H. Smith, High Street, Arbroath, she stole four magazines, an address book and 12 greeting cards and that on January 7, 2005, at Friockheim Health Centre she behaved in a disorderly manner, shouted and swore, raised her clenched fist at a woman and moved towards her in a threatening way, placing her in a state of fear and alarm and committing a breach of the peace.

During the jury trial the court had heard that Dickson, herself a regular user of heroin and with a previous conviction for being concerned in the supply of the class A drug, had befriended the girl during the school summer holidays last year and had allowed her to come to her house.

Evidence was heard that the young girl had been present when Dickson both smoked and injected heroin and that the girl herself had also smoked heroin in Dickson’s house.

The matter came to light when the teenager was taken to Ninewells Hospital in December after she had taken medication prescribed for her grandmother and had fallen down stairs.

Medical staff who examined the girl noticed injection marks on the inside of her elbow joints and the girl admitted to a police surgeon that she had been injecting heroin.

Sheriff Norrie Stein said, “Had you not become involved with this wretched drug the court probably would have had no dealings with you.”