Nwicker60
04-Oct-11, 16:48
"It happened to be in my boyfriend's top I borrowed to go out for coal in November"
CANNABIS resin was found by police in a tracksuit top Emma Crowden was wearing and there was more on the coffee table of her home they visited.
But Emma Crowden maintained in court today that the ‘dope’ didn’t belong to her. She assumed it was the property of her then boyfriend, Stewart Dixon.
She told Wick Justice of the Peace Court that she had borrowed the top to go out for coal, on a cold November night, last year and was still wearing it when the police arrived.
Senior fiscal depute, David Barclay, found the explanation a little far-fetched and told her so, during a trial at Wick Justice of the Peace Court, which heard that the police had initially visit Crowden’s home in Shelligoe Road, Lybster on a matter unrelated to drugs.
Seventeen-year-old Crowden denied having the cannabis in her possession at her home on November 13, last year.
She told the court that she borrowed Mr Dixon’s tracksuit top-he had popped out to see his mother-which he had left hanging on the living room door, shortly before the police arrived.
When an officer drew a small piece of cannabis in silver foil, she assumed it belonged to Mr Dixon as she had known him to smoke the drug now and again, but said nothing, as she didn’t want to get him into trouble. She was surprised that cannabis had also been found on the coffee table and reckoned it also belonged to Mr Dixon.
Mr Barclay told Crowden: “What you are telling us is a terrible coincidence. The one night the police call, you are wearing a top containing cannabis resin and there’s resin on the table. It makes it sound as if your living room is a hotbed of cannabis. Is it not the case that this a story you cobbled together to get you out of bother... manufactured by Mr Dixon and yourself to get you off the hook?.”
Crowden: “No”.
Mr Barclay: “You would have thought before he went out, to visit his mum, he would have put his top on.”
Crowden: “He’s got more than one top.”
Mr Barclay: “A man of many tops”.
Crowden: “I don’t know why he didn’t put it on”.
Stewart Dixon (29) a fisherman of Golf View Place, Lybster confirmed he had left the top at Crowden’s house when he left to visit his mother. He told the court that he was no longer in a relationship with the accused.
Mr Dixon said he had gone into the police station the following day to explain the cannabis belonged to him. He also denied making a story up to save Crowden getting the blame.
He said that Crowden had been upstairs earlier, putting her child to bed while he had been rolling a joint downstairs and replying the fiscal added he had never rolled a joint in Crowden’s house before .
Mr Barclay: “It just happened for the first time that night, the night the police arrived?”.
Mr Dixon: “Shocking...isn’t it”.
Mr Barclay: “It is not the case, you are just telling us a pack of lies to help Emma?”
Mr Dixon: “That is not why I am here”.
Summing up, Mr Barclay submitted that it was sufficient to convict on the basis the drugs were in Crowden’s house and she had “knowledge and control” of them, even although they didn’t belong to her.
Solicitor Sylvia MacLennan said it was not surprising and “quite credible” that Crowden didn’t see Mr Dixon rolling a joint, or notice the cannabis on the coffee table as she was upstairs, attending to her bairn.
Miss MacLennan continued: “Mr Barclay says that if Crowden is to be believed she is one of the unluckiest of people. But facts are often stranger than fiction. She had no knowledge and no control over these drugs.”
Miss MacLennan made the point, that while her story might be incredible to a certain extent, it certainly didn’t make it untrue.
Miss MacLennan submitted that her witnesses were "credible and reliable" and asked the justices to give the accused the benefit of the doubt.
They found the charge against Crowden not proven.
Hazy memory of nightclub assault
A THURSO woman, who assaulted another nightclub patron had only a ‘hazy’ recollection of it, the court was told.
College student, Shannon McPhee, of Bayview Terrace, Thurso, admitted the offence which occurred at a Thurso nightclub, on March 4.
Senior depute fiscal, Mr Barclay said that the assault was the result of “an issue” that had developed between the two women, at Skinandi’s. While McPhee, who sustained a superficial injury, had little recollection, as she was drunk, she thought she might have had her hair pulled, and added Mr Barclay, it was possibly not have all been one way traffic.
Solicitor Neil Wilson said that they two were friends and had apologised to each other when they met, by chance, the following day. McPhee (20) a first offender, had sentence deferred for six months to demonstrate she could behave herself.
*Kevin Wilson, of Smith Terrace, Wick, was fined £65 for a spitting assault on Paul Reid, on January 22.
The eighteen-year-old admitted the offence which occurred in Bridge Street, Wick, when he appeared in court in March. The case had been deferred to allow him to demonstrate he could behave.
CANNABIS resin was found by police in a tracksuit top Emma Crowden was wearing and there was more on the coffee table of her home they visited.
But Emma Crowden maintained in court today that the ‘dope’ didn’t belong to her. She assumed it was the property of her then boyfriend, Stewart Dixon.
She told Wick Justice of the Peace Court that she had borrowed the top to go out for coal, on a cold November night, last year and was still wearing it when the police arrived.
Senior fiscal depute, David Barclay, found the explanation a little far-fetched and told her so, during a trial at Wick Justice of the Peace Court, which heard that the police had initially visit Crowden’s home in Shelligoe Road, Lybster on a matter unrelated to drugs.
Seventeen-year-old Crowden denied having the cannabis in her possession at her home on November 13, last year.
She told the court that she borrowed Mr Dixon’s tracksuit top-he had popped out to see his mother-which he had left hanging on the living room door, shortly before the police arrived.
When an officer drew a small piece of cannabis in silver foil, she assumed it belonged to Mr Dixon as she had known him to smoke the drug now and again, but said nothing, as she didn’t want to get him into trouble. She was surprised that cannabis had also been found on the coffee table and reckoned it also belonged to Mr Dixon.
Mr Barclay told Crowden: “What you are telling us is a terrible coincidence. The one night the police call, you are wearing a top containing cannabis resin and there’s resin on the table. It makes it sound as if your living room is a hotbed of cannabis. Is it not the case that this a story you cobbled together to get you out of bother... manufactured by Mr Dixon and yourself to get you off the hook?.”
Crowden: “No”.
Mr Barclay: “You would have thought before he went out, to visit his mum, he would have put his top on.”
Crowden: “He’s got more than one top.”
Mr Barclay: “A man of many tops”.
Crowden: “I don’t know why he didn’t put it on”.
Stewart Dixon (29) a fisherman of Golf View Place, Lybster confirmed he had left the top at Crowden’s house when he left to visit his mother. He told the court that he was no longer in a relationship with the accused.
Mr Dixon said he had gone into the police station the following day to explain the cannabis belonged to him. He also denied making a story up to save Crowden getting the blame.
He said that Crowden had been upstairs earlier, putting her child to bed while he had been rolling a joint downstairs and replying the fiscal added he had never rolled a joint in Crowden’s house before .
Mr Barclay: “It just happened for the first time that night, the night the police arrived?”.
Mr Dixon: “Shocking...isn’t it”.
Mr Barclay: “It is not the case, you are just telling us a pack of lies to help Emma?”
Mr Dixon: “That is not why I am here”.
Summing up, Mr Barclay submitted that it was sufficient to convict on the basis the drugs were in Crowden’s house and she had “knowledge and control” of them, even although they didn’t belong to her.
Solicitor Sylvia MacLennan said it was not surprising and “quite credible” that Crowden didn’t see Mr Dixon rolling a joint, or notice the cannabis on the coffee table as she was upstairs, attending to her bairn.
Miss MacLennan continued: “Mr Barclay says that if Crowden is to be believed she is one of the unluckiest of people. But facts are often stranger than fiction. She had no knowledge and no control over these drugs.”
Miss MacLennan made the point, that while her story might be incredible to a certain extent, it certainly didn’t make it untrue.
Miss MacLennan submitted that her witnesses were "credible and reliable" and asked the justices to give the accused the benefit of the doubt.
They found the charge against Crowden not proven.
Hazy memory of nightclub assault
A THURSO woman, who assaulted another nightclub patron had only a ‘hazy’ recollection of it, the court was told.
College student, Shannon McPhee, of Bayview Terrace, Thurso, admitted the offence which occurred at a Thurso nightclub, on March 4.
Senior depute fiscal, Mr Barclay said that the assault was the result of “an issue” that had developed between the two women, at Skinandi’s. While McPhee, who sustained a superficial injury, had little recollection, as she was drunk, she thought she might have had her hair pulled, and added Mr Barclay, it was possibly not have all been one way traffic.
Solicitor Neil Wilson said that they two were friends and had apologised to each other when they met, by chance, the following day. McPhee (20) a first offender, had sentence deferred for six months to demonstrate she could behave herself.
*Kevin Wilson, of Smith Terrace, Wick, was fined £65 for a spitting assault on Paul Reid, on January 22.
The eighteen-year-old admitted the offence which occurred in Bridge Street, Wick, when he appeared in court in March. The case had been deferred to allow him to demonstrate he could behave.