Jail for possessing £3,000-worth of heroin

A FORTY three year old man has been jailed for over a year after he was found in possession of heroin worth more than £3,000.

Kevin Goodlad, of Lerwick’s North Lochside, was sentenced at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday having pleaded guilty to the offence in April.

He admitted being concerned in the supply of the class A drug at two locations in Lerwick and elsewhere on 21 June last year.

Police found Goodlad in possession of 32 grams of heroin, which could have fetched £3,200 if broken down into its smallest sellable mounts.

Defence agent Craig Dewar said his client had made a “poor and foolish” decision to get involved in supplying the drug.

Goodlad had been given a positive character reference by Glen Orchy House, where he was a “well-thought-of member of staff”.

He has been finding it “extremely difficult” to cope since the recent and unexpected death of his father, who he has been living with for over 30 years, and Dewar urged Sheriff Philip Mann to consider a community-based sentence.

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But the sheriff said it was “very seldom” that he would not impose custody for such a serious offence and even those “difficult personal circumstances” were not enough to dissuade him of the need for prison.

He sentenced Goodlad to 14 months in jail, reduced from 20 months to reflect his early plea of guilty.