Clackmannanshire man who sold drugs to schoolgirl jailed
A Clackmannanshire man who sold "potentially-deadly" Ecstasy tablets to a schoolgirl who ended up in hospital when she took them was jailed for two years today (Wed 6th Jan).
Tony Hart met the 16-year-old girl in a nightclub and swapped phone numbers with her.
A few days later she texted him asking if he had any "substances".
Hart, 26, replied that he could sell her six Ecstasy tablets for £60, and she collected the drugs from him at a party early the next morning.
Prosecutor Claire Bremner told Stirling Sheriff Court: "Hart handed over six brightly-coloured round tablets and said that they were 'Nintendos'.
"She handed over the money and went to back to the nightclub, where she took the tablets before returning home at 3.00 am.
"She told her mother she was feeling unwell, and said she had taken a quantity of Ecstasy earlier."
She was taken to the Forth Valley Royal Hospital (pictured) in Larbert suffering from swollen lips, thirst, and a rapidly-contracting heart, all of which, the court was told, were consistent with Ecstasy ingestion.
Miss Bremner said: "She was kept in overnight for observations.
"Her doctor was of the view that her condition was potentially life-threatening."
Her mother then called police and Hart's text was found on her mobile.
Hart's home in Leven Court, Alloa, was raided, and police found 5950 Diazepam tablets and £140 worth of the illegal stimulant mephedrone -- also known as M-Cat or meow meow -- hidden in two rucksacks and an old trainer in his bedroom and in the garden shed.
He claimed he was "sincerely sorry" about the girl and added, "I didn't set out to hurt people."
Hart, a father-of-three and a first offender, pleaded guilty to culpably and reckless endangerment -- supplying the girl with Ecstasy, "which she consumed, causing her to require medical attention, all to the potential danger of her life".
The incident occurred on December 28th 2014.
He also admitted being concerned in the supply of Mephedrone and Diazepam.
Elaine Buist, defending, said Hart had met the girl in Club 21, Alloa, which had an "over-21s door policy".
She said Hart was not aware she was only 16 until the police told him.
Imposing the two-year sentence, Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told Hart: "The seriousness of this matter means that no sentence other than a custodial sentence is appropriate."
Turning to security guards, the sheriff added: "Take him away."