A teenager maths ace caught selling drugs to his friends has been spared a custodial sentence – because it might wreck his future prospects.
Elliot Lees, who lives in the plush Brucelands area of Elgin, sold cocaine and cannabis to friends when he was 16 and 17.
His dealings only came to light when police noticed a smell of cannabis coming from the car he was driving, and caught him with more than £1,000 worth of drugs.
The 18-year-old, who now studies a complex maths course at a university in the central belt, returned to Elgin yesterday to face sentencing at the town’s sheriff court.
Sheriff Chris Dickson warned the youth that he was “on the cusp of custody”, but decided to spare him after learning it could “destroy” his career chances.
He attributed Lees’ behaviour to a “lack of maturity” and ordered him to perform 300 hours of unpaid work. He also imposed a curfew for his upcoming university breaks.
Lees was arrested on January 29, after police spotted his parents’ car abandoned beside the Riverside Kitchens showroom outside Elgin.
They noticed a “strong smell of cannabis” coming from the vehicle, and later pulled it over when they saw it travelling along Sheriffmill Road.
Fiscal David Morton said: “In view of the earlier smell, the car was stopped and police asked the accused if there were any controlled drugs in the car.
“The accused accepted that there were, and when police searched the glove box they found tubs which contained 25 sealed bags of a green herbal substance later confirmed to be cannabis.”
As well as 37g of cannabis, worth £750, officers recovered 12.8g of cannabis resin – worth up to £40.
They also unearthed more than 3gs of cocaine in eight bags, with a value of £350.
When police seized Lees’s mobile phone, they found more than 2,000 messages about buying and selling drugs.
Mr Morton added: “There were discussions about meeting up to divide up and weigh out bulk purchases.
“There was some intent to make profit, and it would appear that the accused made about £150 a week when he was active.”
The fiscal added that Lees principally dealt in cannabis, and only bought a “social supply” of cocaine.
The former Elgin Academy pupil admitted to being concerned in the supply of a class A drug, cocaine, between December 1, 2015 and January 29 this year.
He also admitted supplying cannabis and cannabis resin between May 27 last year and January 29.
Solicitor Iain Maltman said Lees only bought a supply of cocaine once, for a party last Christmas.
Mr Maltman said: “My client is a first offender, and there is a big difference between him now and the boy he was at the time of these offences.
“He is a very bright young man with real prospects, and is doing well at university.
“A custodial sentence would destroy his university career, and detract from his ability to contribute towards society.”
Sheriff Dickson said: “If the accused was any older, he would have been sent to custody for more than a year.
“But I accept there was a lack of maturity at the time of offending.”
As well as the unpaid work order, Lees must remain inside his parents’ Elgin home between 7pm and 7am for the entirety of his upcoming Christmas, spring and summer breaks.