A VALE man who admitted being concerned in the supply of the banned drug Etizolam in 2017 has been spared a prison sentence – after a court was told he had turned his life around since the offence.

Alan Campbell, of Craig Avenue in Alexandria, appeared in court on Friday for sentencing after admitting the charge, which related to a period between July 29 and September 8, 2017.

The 38-year-old, who brought a bag containing his belongings to court in case he was sent to prison, had also pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of possessing cocaine during the same time period, having at first also been accused of being concerned in the supply of the class A drug.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court was told on Friday that police had searched Campbell’s home on September 8 that year, and found a small quantity of white powder, later found to be a mixture of cocaine and amphetamine, worth around £60, as well as 340 Etizolam tablets.

Fiscal depute Meghan Glancey told the court police had seized a mobile phone during a search of the property and had found texts which “appeared indicative of drug dealing”.

Campbell’s solicitor, Judith Reid, told Sheriff John Hamilton: “I would ask you to consider that the date of the offences can have a bearing on what happens today.

“He was in a very bad place when these offences happened. The person with whom he had been in a relationship for some time left him for his best friend and he got into considerable drug debt.

“He is now able to look back and see that this was harmful to him and those around him.”

Ms Reid said Campbell’s “lifestyle choices” in 2017 had affected his relationship with family members but that he had since rebuilt those links, and told the court he had used the time since the offences to make “very significant progress” in his life.

Ms Reid also told the court Campbell had been told to carry out unpaid community work as a sentence for a separate matter, and that he had become a “valued member” of the unpaid work team while carrying out the punishment.

Sheriff Hamilton told Campbell: “You know more than anyone the effect that drugs can have on your life.

“You were not unwise to bring a bag with you today, but things have changed.”

Campbell was ordered to carry out a further 250 hours of unpaid work within 12 months under a community payback order, as a direct alternative to jail time.

The sheriff added: “If you don’t do the order, all bets are off.”