A man was found dead in a Dunfermline homeless hostel after being supplied with methadone in a drug swap deal.
Stuart Duncan gave Liam Ballantyne a bottle containing the class A drug in return for eight Valium tablets at the James Bank Hostel on February 23, 2021.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Mr Ballantyne, who had also been drinking alcohol, was later found lying dead on his bed.
Duncan pled guilty to supplying the methadone, a man-made opioid, to Mr Ballantyne in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
A sheriff praised the progress the 32-year-old had made, describing him as “one of the bright spots in the criminal justice system”.
Body found during welfare check
Procurator fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson told the court that Mr Ballantyne had been drinking alcohol with another person at the hostel.
In the early hours of the following morning, he knocked on that person’s door and asked if they wanted methadone.
The fiscal said Mr Ballantyne was holding a brown bottle which he’d swapped with Valium and he drank “most of” what was in it.
Ms Stevenson said: “He appeared intoxicated and it was the last time he was seen alive.
“Police later attended at the locus for a welfare check and discovered witness Liam Ballantyne on the bed. An ambulance was called”.
The fiscal said Duncan later stated in an interview that he gave Mr Ballantyne the bottle of methadone in return for eight Valium tablets.
“He (Duncan) said he had drunk some of the methadone prior to giving it to (Mr Ballantyne) and topped it up with water,” the fiscal added.
Started new chapter
Defence lawyer Aime Allan described it as a “horrible incident” but “clearly not one Mr Duncan intended to have happened”.
The solicitor said her client was struggling with drug addiction and the methadone, topped up with water, was “swapped with Valium”.
Ms Allan said Duncan has since come off methadone completely and is on morphine instead, and has been working with different agencies and addiction services.
She said he is repeatedly testing negative for all non-prescribed drugs.
Ms Allan said: “He understands the severity of the charge he faces today, but has started a new chapter of life and wishes to make positive steps. He has nothing else outstanding”.
Praise from sheriff
Sheriff Peter Anderson told Duncan if he hadn’t made such changes in the past two years the sentencing outcome would have been different.
The sheriff said his actions “appeared to have played a part” in Mr Ballantyne’s death but pointed out that Mr Ballantyne was, sadly, also responsible.
Sheriff Anderson said: “The deal you did was very unhelpful”.
The sheriff referenced Duncan’s attitude in a background report and described him as “one of the bright spots in the criminal justice system”.
The sheriff sentenced him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and placed him on supervision for a year.
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