The scourge of so-called legal highs continues to be laid bare in the dock of Forfar Sheriff Court.
In separate cases before Sheriff Murray, a 20-year-old received a community payback order including 140 hours’ unpaid work, and reports have been ordered on a teenager who has racked up more than a dozen offences in six months.
The CPO was imposed on Patrick Doherty of Christie’s Lane in Montrose who admitted possessing a knife at his home address and the town’s Academy Square on June 30.
Defence solicitor Nick Markowski said that at the time of the offence Doherty was misusing legal highs and alcohol.
“He became paranoid, believing people were chasing him and out to get him,” said the solicitor.
He was at his mother’s address and left with a knife, but she was concerned and contacted police.
Mr Markowski added: “He is no longer misusing legal highs and has got his act together with plans to go to college.”
Doherty’s case was followed by the appearance from custody of 18-year-old Liam Guthrie, Newton Avenue, Arbroath, who admitted breaching a community payback order for offences including a string of shoplifting charges.
Sheriff Murray told Guthrie: “You are only 18 and you are a legal high and Valium addict.
“You have committed 13 offences since October and have been on remand, and the difficulty I face is that unless something is done you are simply going to be what we call a revolving door case.
“I will place you on a high tariff structured deferred sentence for one month, but if you offend or appear in court again during that period you know where you are going. The police will also be watching you, you are not invisible.”