Essay wins drug offence teenager absolute discharge

A teenager found in possession of with drugs including ecstasy at last year's T in the Park music festival has been given an absolute discharge after writing a 500-word essay on drugs.

Sheriff William Wood at Perth Sheriff Court had ordered 17-year-old Aaron Bertram on a previous appearance to write 500 words on the title: "The Perils of Drug Misuse for 16-21 year-olds in the 21st Century", after the accused, who comes from Giffnock, admitted having an ecstasy tablet and £1 worth of class B methylethcathinone – also known as Meow Meow or M-Cat – at the 2014 event. The essay was not to be a "lecture about the law", but "about the impact it has on you and those like you".

Yesterday the sheriff told Bertram, who recently left school and hopes to study business management, that he was satisfied with the time and effort Bertram had put into the essay.

Discharging the teenager, he said he had given considerable thought to his particular circumstances. "I deferred sentence and asked you to write an essay in the hope it would bring to your attention the dangers of these illicit substances and misusing drugs in any shape or form. I hope it has had that effect. You don't have to be on drugs to have fun."

The sheriff added that as Bertram would avoid having a conviction against his name, he was being given a "lifeline", as otherwise he would have to disclose the offence to any potential employer. "Don't let me down. I don't want to see you back in court. Good luck in the future", he told him.