John McNeil has avoided prison after being found in a car containing heroin and Cocaine worth around £14,000, while a lamb ate from a bag of chips in the back seat.

McNeil, 56, was a passenger in Lindsey Sangster’s Volkswagen Golf when it was stopped by police on the M74 in Glasgow on 22 April 2023. A police dog later located two bags beneath the front passenger seat containing £4,640 of cocaine and £10,050 of heroin. The cocaine was recorded as having a purity of at least 76%.

Prosecutors said the quantity of drugs was excessive for personal use and indicated an intention to supply. McNeil and Sangster were convicted in September of possessing heroin and diamorphine with intent to supply. Both denied knowing about the drugs.

During the stop, officers also found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. When asked about the lamb, named Pablo, McNeil reportedly said Sangster was a “trainee shepherdess”. A police sergeant told the court there was no evidence to support that claim, noting that the animal was eating chips from a bag on the back seat.

The pair said they had found Pablo in a dangerous position in the middle of the road and were taking him back to his owner. The lamb belonged to North Lanrigg Farm in Motherwell, owned by Kirsty Mair, who had not given them permission to take it. A charge relating to resetting the lamb was dropped during the trial because there had been no reported theft at the time.

McNeil told jurors that he had experience with animals through previous work with his father, a retired agricultural contractor. He said Pablo appeared dehydrated and had not been fed for several hours, adding that identity markings on the lamb’s ears would help them return him to the owner.

Pablo was taken to a farm in Ayrshire for between 48 and 72 hours before being returned to Mair. She later said the lamb was in good health and happy with his new companions.

McNeil’s defence lawyer said he was now a team leader at a construction company and had been “at the height of his addiction” when he was arrested. Sangster had pleaded guilty in separate proceedings, was disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Tony Kelly ordered McNeil to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and imposed electronic monitoring for six months, requiring him to remain indoors between 20:00 and 05:00. The court was told that his risk of reoffending was considered low.

Sources: BBC News UK.