Two extra months in jail for man who concealed heroin in his body

When heroin addict Steven Nicholson was jailed last Thursday at Lerwick Sheriff Court he had no intention of going cold turkey when he arrived in Aberdeen prison. But his forward planning was rumbled before he left Shetland after a doctor examined him and suspected there was a package concealed inside his body.

Nature eventually ran its course in his cell in Lerwick and out popped a Kinder Surprise plastic egg containing drugs with a street value of around £150. Nicholson was kept in custody until today when he was brought back before the court and pled guilty to possessing heroin, cannabis resin and cannabis oil.

Honorary sheriff Malcolm Bell sentenced him to an extra two months on top of the 226-day stretch imposed for driving at a police officer after a car chase in Lerwick on Christmas Day.

Nicholson’s defence agent Kathryn Gordon said when Nicholson was remanded in custody following the Christmas incident he had not received his prescribed medication of methadone, diazepam and sleeping tablets so he decided to take matters into his own hands this time to make sure he had some drugs.

She said prior to his custody at the end of last year Nicholson was one of the few people to successfully come off heroin as a result of a drug treatment and testing order. But his resolve had failed when he landed back in jail.