A former Aberdeen City Council worker who was clocked selling cocaine worth around £2,000 in the city has been spared jail.
Marc Nicolson was clocked by undercover police handing over cocaine worth almost £2,000 to a man in a van outside Aberdeen’s Rosehill Court.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how the 33-year-old had been of previous “exemplary character” before his apparent fall from grace when he was caught dealing the Class A drug.
Fiscal depute David Ballock said the council employee was spied by officers in an unmarked patrol car at around 2pm on November 20 2020.
“They saw the accused approaching the driver’s side door of the white van and passing something on to the driver,” he said. “He entered Rosehill Court and the other individual drove away.
“Officers followed and stopped the van and the driver was searched.
“A clear back containing a white substance was found in his jacket and another was seized from the central console of the van.”
One large back contained 15.9 grammes of cocaine with a potential street value of £1,900.
“This individual said he had received the cocaine from the accused,” the fiscal added.
A second smaller bag contained 2.4 grammes of cocaine with a potential street value of £300.
‘Foolish behaviour’
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Nicolson this level of drug-dealing would often warrant a jail term, but said given his previous “exemplary character” an alternative could be found.
He said: “This behaviour strikes me as inexplicable because you are in a position of previous exemplary character.
“You are in employment, you have a family and to get involved in behaviour like this put you are a risk of imprisonment.
“I can see from the social work report you recognise how foolish your behaviour was.”
He added that given Nicolson’s age lack of previous convictions had been considered but warned that he may not be entitled to such treatment should there be any repeat offending.
Nicolson, of Raeden Crescent, Aberdeen, admitted a single charge of being concerned in the supply of drugs.
He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Though Nicolson worked for Aberdeen City Council at the time of the offence he is no longer employed by the local authority.
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