A teenager invited two 13-year-old girls to an Aberdeen hotel room and then gave them drugs, a court has heard.
Ritchie Jackson, now 21, was found in the city centre Travelodge with the children after meeting them on Snapchat.
When police arrived after being tipped off by hotel staff, they found hundreds of pounds worth of ketamine and the euphoric stimulant drug Eutylone.
Jackson’s lawyer told Aberdeen Sheriff Court his client had thought the girls were 16 and 15 at the time.
He also said Jackson, who was 19 at the time, had “grown up so much” since he committed these offences.
Fiscal depute Lewis Devoy told the court that on May 1 last year Jackson had booked a room to stay at the Travelodge on Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen.
“The two girls had agreed to meet him at the locus and arrived at 3.30am by the rear door,” Mr Devoy said.
“The police were called to attend based on the behaviour of one of the occupants of one of the rooms.”
Jackson was found in his room by police in the company of the two 13-year-old girls and there were “a number of substances found there”.
As he was detained by officers the two girls were taken home to their families.
In the hotel room, police recovered five grams of ketamine, worth around £100, and a further five grams Eutylone with a street value of around £150.
An interview was conducted with the two girls, who told officers that Jackson had provided them with the drugs.
Jackson pleaded guilty to one charge of supplying Ketamine and a second charge of being concerned in the supply of Eutylone.
Defence agent Christopher Maitland told the court that his client had been chatting to the 13-year-old girls on Snapchat and that this was the first time he had met them.
“He believed they were 16 and 15 and he was 19 at the time,” Mr Maitland said.
“It is not okay to give anyone drugs at any time or at any age – he had a negative lifestyle at the time.
“He states that he has grown up so much since then and had gained employment, so that is a positive step.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Jackson: “This is undoubtedly a serious offence and if you were significantly older the court would be seriously considering a period of imprisonment.
As an alternative to prison a prison sentence, Sheriff Buchanan sentenced Jackson to a community payback order and ordered him to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.
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