A RHU man has confessed to being concerned in the supply of a class A drug after police found text messages in which he gave instructions on how to mix the substance.

Iain Stalker pleaded guilty in court this week to being concerned in the supply of cocaine at his home address in the village’s Braehead Place and elsewhere over a two-week period in June 2016.

The 34-year-old admitted the charge at a hearing at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Tuesday, March 12.

Joanne Gilmour, prosecuting, told the court Stalker came to the attention of police after they attended a property in Helensburgh on June and found the householder there, Patricia Telfer, in possession of a quantity of cocaine worth £500, mixing equipment, scales, bags and money.

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Officers also recovered a mobile phone belonging to Telfer – who, the court heard, had been told to carry out unpaid work and handed a compensation order in 2017 following the discovery.

On that phone they found an exchange of messages between Telfer and Stalker which led them to go to Stalker’s home with a search warrant five days later.

There, Ms Gilmour said, officers recovered Stalker’s own mobile, finding a number of text messages, including one from Stalker to Telfer asking “how much prop was left again”, and a reply from Telfer stating “13 G odds before I take your G out”.

Ms Gilmour confirmed that according to police experts, ‘prop’ was short for ‘proper’, meaning cocaine, and G stood for ‘gram’.

Ms Gilmour said: “Between June 8 and 24, 2016 he is, from the content of the messages, instructing how to mix the cocaine along with the mixing agent.

“In essence, he is then giving instructions about people picking up the drug and dropping the drug off.”

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Stalker’s solicitor told the court: “He is aware of the serious nature of this offence.

“Reading the text messages it can be quite difficult for someone not part of that section of society to understand, until you see the context, but he accepts those texts were received or sent by him and he accepts being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

“When police came visiting him, while he was at his home with his mother and grandmother, no money was found in real terms.

“There is no money in bank accounts, no expensive paintings or Rolex watches or anything of that nature.

“The lady in question was found with £1,000 in cash, which it appears was taken from her, and £500 worth of cocaine.

“He was not arrested on the day police came visiting.”

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Answering a question from Sheriff William Gallacher about why it had taken so long for a case from 2016 to reach the point of a guilty plea, the defence lawyer said: “There has been quite a lot of investigation in relation to certain aspects of the case.”

Deferring sentence for background reports, Sheriff Gallacher told Stalker: “You do not escape culpability for the consequences just because you are not the person handing something over.

“Do not kid yourself that this is anything other than a serious matter.

“I want to know more about the circumstances. You should anticipate that high on my list of considerations will be whether or not it is necessary that I impose a custodial sentence.”

Stalker was told to come back to court on April 8; his bail was continued.