A pregnant Perth woman who avoided jail for her part in a county lines drug operation was warned to stay out of trouble “because no one wants you to be giving birth in handcuffs.”
Skye McElwee was caught with thousands of pounds worth of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia at her flat in the city’s Viewfield Place.
The 23-year-old had been involved with a drugs gang from England who were using her home as a base for selling and packaging the class A substance.
The members wore distinctive hi-viz jackets and were regularly seen under surveillance taking a dog called Boss for a walk.
McElwee was heard asking after the dog when officers raided her home, inadvertently confirming her connection the drug gang.
She returned to Perth Sheriff Court for sentencing, having earlier pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine from her home on June 1 2023.
Curfew order
McElwee wept in the dock as the court heard how she had made great progress to get her life back on track since the offence.
Sheriff William Wood told her: “Although your social work report is in very positive terms, there is no escaping the fact you were an active participant in this plan to supply drugs.
“There were messages on your phones that made clear that you were actively involved.
“This would normally attract a custodial sentence.”
But the sheriff told McElwee he would not be sending her to jail.
“It is a positive report and I take into account your age at the time.
“I note there has been no further offending over the last three years and it is hoped that that continues.”
McElwee was ordered to stay home between 7pm and 7am each night as part of a five-month restriction of liberty order.
The sheriff said: “You do have to be aware that breaching this order might lead to a custodial sentence and no one wants you to be giving birth in handcuffs.
“I don’t think that would happen, but stay out of trouble.”
Suspect chased on foot
The court heard how Police Scotland received intelligence drugs were being dealt from McElwee’s address by a group of males, described as Afro-Caribbean, from England.
Prosecutor Stephanie Paterson said: “This intelligence provided that the males wore high visibility vests and were often seen walking a dog named Boss.”
One of the gang was spotted by police walking a brown dog near McElwee’s home at around 11am on June 1 2023.
The 32-year-old ran off as police approached.
He darted past KFC, before running over a bridge into Vasart Court and into St Catherine’s Retail Park.
Police caught up with him when he returned to Viewfield Place.
The suspect was found to be carrying a set of keys attached to a lanyard for children’s hospice charity CHAS and a soft toy.
Officers later discovered a snapbag containing 5g of crack cocaine behind KFC, which the suspect is believed to have ditched in the chase.
An arrest warrant has since been issued for the AWOL suspect, whose last known address was in Slough.
Rucksack packed with crack
When police executed a search warrant on McElwee’s flat, they did not need a battering ram to get inside.
They used the keys obtained from their suspect to unlock the front door later that afternoon and found McElwee in bed.
Ms Paterson said: “The accused asked officers where the dog was.
“A detective constable explained to her that there was no dog in the house. At this, the accused became upset.”
McElwee confirmed to police the name of her dog was Boss.
“It became apparent that the same dog had been with the male who was detained earlier,” said Ms Paterson.
A forensic sweep of the property was carried out and a tub filled with white powder was seized from a kitchen worktop.
Other paraphernalia including scales, a tick list and snapbags – identical to the one dropped behind KFC – were also found.
A plastic box in a rucksack was found to contain 41.9g of crack cocaine, with a street value of more than £4,000.
McElwee’s iPhone was analysed and it contained incriminating outgoing text messages.
When she was interviewed, McElwee was unable to provide an explanation for the drugs found at her home, Ms Paterson said.
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