Helensburgh dad turned to drug dealing 'to save up for flat'

A HELENSBURGH dad-of-two who was found with cocaine worth £2,500 – and almost £7,000 in cash – turned to drug dealing because he was saving up to buy a flat, a court has heard.

College student Liam Bailey was a passenger in a car which was pulled over by police on the edge of Glasgow last March.

But the 28-year-old was spared a prison sentence at a court hearing last week.

Bailey, of Fisher Place, appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court for sentencing on February 18 after pleading guilty last month to a single charge of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug.

Police found 62.4 grams of the Class A drug, along with £6,055 in cash and a wallet containing a further £842, and small change, when they searched Bailey after pulling over a Peugeot near the Canniesburn Toll roundabout in Bearsden on March 20, 2019.

Bailey had informed police after his arrest that he worked as a DJ, MC and musician.

Defence solicitor Kevin Corr told Sheriff Maxwell Hendry on Tuesday: “This is clearly a serious matter; Mr Bailey is in no doubt about what will be in the forefront of your Lordship’s mind, standing the nature of the offence.

“He has given an explanation, of sorts, for why he fell into this type of offending, but it’s perhaps not an entirely satisfactory one.

“He states he was saving up for a flat, and decided to make a quick buck.”

Sentence had been deferred until Tuesday to allow a social worker to prepare a background report.

Mr Corr continued: “The report states he is regretful for his actions and understands they were wrong.

"There were a number of negative peer influences which made this course of action perhaps too easy and too accessible.

“He tells me he has made every effort to cut those people out of his life, because he does not want to come before the courts again for anything, never mind a matter which could cost him his liberty.”

Mr Corr asked for the court to consider an alternative to a prison sentence, in line with a recommendation in the social work report, and suggested an electronic tag to restrict Bailey’s liberty might be appropriate.

Mr Corr added: “His mother, who is not overly enamoured at the situation he finds himself in, has given consent for monitoring equipment to be installed.

“His DJing is very much on the back burner, and is not something he relies upon to get by, so a tag wouldn’t necessarily detract from his income position. But even if it did, he has pleaded guilty to a serious offence and has to be punished for that.”

Sheriff Hendry told Bailey: “You are escaping going to prison by the skin of your teeth, because there is no doubt in my mind that someone who is found in possession of a class A drug worth £2,500, with intent to supply it to others, deserves to go to prison.

“You are rescued by a number of small factors: you have no analogous convictions, you can still be a useful member of the community by studying towards a degree, your family is prepared to support you, and you no longer maintain you should be entitled to the cash.”

Bailey was handed a community payback order which will see him supervised by a social worker for 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work by August, reduced from 270 hours because of his guilty plea, and was made the subject of a ‘restriction of liberty order’ which will see him confined to the Fisher Place address every night from 7pm until 7am until mid-June.

Sheriff Hendry also granted a Crown motion for the confiscation of a total of £6,899.25 in cash found in Bailey’s possession during the police’s search.

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