Man caught in car with £14k of drugs as a lamb ate chips in the back seat avoids jail

bbc ^

[algore]

John McNeil, 56, was a passenger in Lindsey Sangster's vehicle which was stopped by police on the M74 in Glasgow on 22 April 2023.

Bags of heroin and cocaine were later recovered by a police dog underneath the front passenger seat of the Volkswagen Golf.

When quizzed about the animal - called Pablo - a sergeant claimed Sangster's partner McNeil told him she was a "trainee shepherdess." The duo were found guilty in September of possession of cocaine and diamorphine with intent to supply.

John McNeil told jurors in his evidence that he was experienced with animals

The pair claimed they had tried to save the lamb - named after Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar - from a "dangerous position" on the middle of the road.

The court previously heard Pablo belonged to North Lanrigg Farm in Motherwell, which is owned by farmer Kirsty Mair.

A joint minute of agreed evidence said Mair had not given them permission to have the lamb.

Sgt Nick Twigg, 42, told jurors that he had reason to stop Sangster's car on the motorway, with Sangster, McNeil and another man in the vehicle.

An initial search found a glass pipe in the driver's door pocket while others were seized from McNeil and the man.

He said: "I asked Sangster where it [the lamb] came from and McNeil said that she was a trainee shepherdess."

Prosecutor Julianna Keenan asked the officer if there was evidence of this and he replied: "No, the lamb at the time was eating a bag of chips left on the back seat. There were no bottles."

A police dog named Billy later found £4,640 of cocaine and £10,050 of heroin under the front passenger seat within two bags.

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TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS:

[algore]

[TheThirdRuffian]

Having spent some time in Glasgow, Florida man has nothing on them.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I bet the “trainee shepherdess” was going to turn Pablo into Lamb Chop.

[Deaf Smith]

“…that he was experienced with animals.”

——————-

Are You Experienced?…Jimi Hendrix

[gundog]

Chips, or crisps? Looks like fish and chips.

I guess the whole story would be ludicrous if the lamb were eating crisps...potato chips.

[lee martell]

All this sounds like one of those British Farmer movies I want to go and see every so often.
The Ballad of Wallis Island was the last such film I saw.

[Beowulf9]

Mair had a little lamb,

It’s fleece was white as snow

and when that lamb went for a ride

some drugs were found to go

[sit-rep]

he was arabic...

[TigersEye]

So a lamb can avoid jail if it’s eating chips?

So much for equality under the law.

[ConservativeMind]

My wife and I caught that, streaming.

You have good taste!

[lastchance]

Why should the lamb go to jail? It seems only right that it avoid doing so.

[blackdog]

I thought this was out of the Miami Herald? It’s a Florida Man story, for sure.

[frank ballenger]

So a lamb can avoid jail if it’s eating chips?

Let the chips fall where they may.

The phrase originally referred to chopping wood: a woodcutter should “hew to the line” (cut straight along the marked guideline) and not worry about where the small wood chips fall. This metaphor encouraged focusing on doing what is right and ignoring minor consequences. ----The Free Dictionary.

[frank ballenger]

A police dog named Billy later found £4,640 of cocaine and £10,050 of heroin....

Wish I could find the meme of a broad, silly grin on a dog's face and the line: "No, I don't know where your grass baggie is. And, by the way, you're out of Doritos."

[TigersEye]

Maybe it’s just me but I wouldn’t consider a drug dealing lamb to be minor consequences. :D