A 56-year-old Scottish man who was found in a car carrying more than £14,000 worth of cocaine and heroin, while a lamb ate a bag of chips in the back seat, has avoided a prison sentence.
John McNeil was travelling as a passenger in a Volkswagen Golf driven by Lindsey Sangster when police stopped the vehicle on the M74 in Glasgow on April 22, 2023.
A police dog later discovered two bags containing cocaine and heroin hidden underneath the front passenger seat. The drugs were valued at £4,640 and £10,050, respectively.
Officers also found a lamb, named Pablo, sitting in the back seat and eating from a bag of chips.
How the lamb ended up in the car
During the police search, Sergeant Nick Twigg asked Sangster where the lamb had come from. According to his testimony, McNeil told him that she was a "trainee shepherdess."
However, when prosecutor Julianna Keenan asked whether there was any evidence to support the claim, the officer replied: "No, the lamb at the time was eating a bag of chips left on the back seat. There were no bottles."
McNeil and Sangster later told the court that they had picked up the lamb from the middle of the road because they believed it was in a "dangerous position".
{{/usCountry}}McNeil and Sangster later told the court that they had picked up the lamb from the middle of the road because they believed it was in a "dangerous position".
{{/usCountry}}McNeil said they were returning to Ayrshire after travelling to Edinburgh to help another man buy a car when they came across Pablo. He claimed the lamb appeared "dehydrated" and had not been fed for a couple of hours.
He told the court that they intended to "take him back to the owner", adding that the animal had identification markings on its ears.
Pablo belonged to North Lanrigg Farm in Motherwell, owned by farmer Kirsty Mair. A joint minute of agreed evidence confirmed that Mair had not given the pair permission to take the lamb.
The animal was taken to a farm in Ayrshire, where it was kept for 48 to 72 hours before being returned to Mair. A charge of resetting the lamb was dropped by the Crown during the trial because there was "no reported theft" at the time.
Man sentenced to unpaid work and curfew
McNeil and Sangster were found guilty in September of possessing cocaine and diamorphine with intent to supply.
During sentencing, McNeil's defence lawyer, Bronwyn Moore, told the court that her client was now working as a team leader at a construction company. She said he had been "at the height of his addiction" when he was arrested.
McNeil, from Fairlie in North Ayrshire, was ordered by Sheriff Tony Kelly to complete 300 hours of unpaid work. He was also given a six-month electronically monitored curfew, requiring him to remain indoors between 8pm and 5am.
The sheriff said he had been advised that McNeil posed a low risk of reoffending.
Sangster, who is from Kilbirnie, did not appear in court for the sentencing hearing, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
She had previously been ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and handed an 18-month driving ban for driving under the influence of drugs.
Meanwhile, Mair later confirmed that Pablo was in good health after being returned to the farm. She said he was happy with "his new pet lamb pals".