A FORMER soldier who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan was fined £300 after being caught with heroin and cannabis in Galashiels.
Steven Brunton, 36, of Pirniefield Place in Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to possession of both substances when he appeared from custody before Sheriff Derrick McIntyre at Duns last week.
Prosecutor Kate McGarvey told the court that police officers stopped Brunton’s car in Magdala Terrace at 9pm on August 22 after having concerns about the way it was being driven.
The officers searched the vehicle and found a foil wrap, hypodermic needles, heroin valued at £20 and cannabis worth £7.50 in a glasses case.
Ed Hulme, defending, said Brunton was undertaking a methadone programme in an attempt to tackle his drug habit and was “very disappointed with himself for giving into temptation and relapsing”.
His client, who served his country for 12 years, was travelling from an electrician’s job in the north of England at the time of the offence.