A prominent Aberdeen pub boss today sobbed in the dock as he was jailed for dealing cocaine.
Paul Clarkson – whose family firm PB Devco owns pubs and restaurants including Soul, The Draft Project and Vovem – broke down in tears as Sheriff Morag McLaughlin passed sentence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today.
The court was told he felt “shame” about how he had behaved and “how it reflects on his family”.
The court previously heard how police swooped on 42-year-old pub operations director when they received intelligence he was in possession of cocaine at the Draft Project on Langstane Place in Aberdeen.
Cops searched Clarkson as he left the venue at 9.33pm and found class-A drugs worth £1,630, self-seal bags and a mobile phone full of incriminating text messages.
The incident occurred on the night of the Scotland v Serbia football match on November 12 last year.
He admitted a single charge of supplying cocaine when appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month.
WhatsApp messages uncovered ‘significant’ evidence of drug dealing
His solicitor, Ian Woodward-Nutt told the court Clarkson had behaved in a “grossly stupid way” but added that his client had only taken part in a “limited form of social supply that made him no financial gain”.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson revealed at Clarkson’s last hearing that an examination of his mobile phone uncovered a “significant number of messages indicative of the accused being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs”.
“The earliest of these messages was dated April 1 2019,” Ms Simpson said.
“The accused had messaged 11 different individuals and also a group chat on WhatsApp.
“These messages variously involved the accused arranging to supply controlled drugs or requesting payment for drugs previously supplied.
“The messages make reference to the accused being at work while engaging in these discussions regarding transactions and meeting customers near Soul and Vovem.”
After initially denying the charge, Clarkson was rearrested on January 19 this year and, in interview, he admitted supplying drugs to the people mentioned in the WhatsApp messages.
‘Drugs became very much a part of the culture within his social circle’
Mr Woodward-Nutt told the court that Clarkson had “never supplied cocaine while on work premises and had never taken cocaine while on work premises”.
He added: “At the time of this offence he was struggling with his mental health and the breakdown of his marriage.
“Drugs became very much a part of the culture within his social circle and his own use increased significantly during lockdown because during that period work had very much slowed down for him.
“He was effectively bulk buying cocaine for personal use – and indeed that is why he had the quality of cocaine that he had on him when he was arrested by the police.
“He has been of good behaviour since his arrest and he has been successful in dramatically reducing his drug use and he has not purchased any drugs since his arrest.”
Mr Woodward-Nutt said that Clarkson accepted he “had made bad decisions and accepts full responsibility for those decisions”.
He added: “The overriding theme is the shame he feels about how he has behaved and how it reflects on his family.”
No other disposal is suitable
However, Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told him: “I find that no other disposal is suitable and a custodial disposal is appropriate.
“I’m taking into account when doing that the seriousness of this charge.
“The dealing was over a considerable period of time, it was direct dealing to members of the public a Class A drug – and albeit it wasn’t for financial gain, it was for personal gain.
“I consider that only a custodial sentence is appropriate as a punishment and a means of expressing disapproval.”
Clarkson, of Forrest Road, Aberdeen, sobbed in the dock as Sheriff McLaughlin sentenced him to eight months in prison.
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