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Lawyer Gerard Nesbitt convicted in cannabis supply trial | Lawyer Gerard Nesbitt convicted in cannabis supply trial |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A lawyer is facing a lengthy jail term after being caught with a large amount of cannabis resin at his Glasgow flat. | |
Gerard Nesbitt, 53, tried to pin the blame on a homeless man, he claimed not to know, who had been using his flat as part of a "favour" to a friend. | Gerard Nesbitt, 53, tried to pin the blame on a homeless man, he claimed not to know, who had been using his flat as part of a "favour" to a friend. |
But a jury at the High Court in Glasgow rejected this and convicted him and co-accused Iain McKenzie, 38, of being concerned in the supply of cannabis. | But a jury at the High Court in Glasgow rejected this and convicted him and co-accused Iain McKenzie, 38, of being concerned in the supply of cannabis. |
Sentence on both men was deferred and they were remanded in custody. | Sentence on both men was deferred and they were remanded in custody. |
The court heard how the employment lawyer and his accomplice were caught during an investigation by the former Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA). | The court heard how the employment lawyer and his accomplice were caught during an investigation by the former Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA). |
Supermarket worker McKenzie, from the city's Carntyne area, was seen carrying a bag while visiting Nesbitt's tenement flat in Battlefield on 24 May last year. | Supermarket worker McKenzie, from the city's Carntyne area, was seen carrying a bag while visiting Nesbitt's tenement flat in Battlefield on 24 May last year. |
Police later raided the flat just before Nesbitt and his partner were going to bed. | Police later raided the flat just before Nesbitt and his partner were going to bed. |
A large quantity of cannabis resin was discovered under a bunk bed, in a filing cabinet and a kitchen cupboard. | A large quantity of cannabis resin was discovered under a bunk bed, in a filing cabinet and a kitchen cupboard. |
The court heard 31kg of the drug, with a potential street value of £155,000, was found at both the properties where they lived. | |
Former CID officer Kenneth Simpson - a drug expert - told the jury that was a "huge amount" of cannabis. | |
Nesbitt, now of Newlands, Glasgow, denied involvement and told the jury a homeless man - who he did not know - had been using his flat in the weeks before the raid as a "favour" to a friend. | Nesbitt, now of Newlands, Glasgow, denied involvement and told the jury a homeless man - who he did not know - had been using his flat in the weeks before the raid as a "favour" to a friend. |
Homeless man | Homeless man |
Advocate depute James MacDonald, prosecuting, put to Nesbitt: "Do you not understand how ridiculous your position is? | Advocate depute James MacDonald, prosecuting, put to Nesbitt: "Do you not understand how ridiculous your position is? |
"How ridiculous for a qualified lawyer to say: 'I let in a homeless man, gave him the keys and, while in it, if there was anything put in the house, it was him, not me." | "How ridiculous for a qualified lawyer to say: 'I let in a homeless man, gave him the keys and, while in it, if there was anything put in the house, it was him, not me." |
Nesbitt replied: "My position is exactly what I have said." | Nesbitt replied: "My position is exactly what I have said." |
Mr McDonald said the lawyer's claims would make him the "unluckiest man in Glasgow". | Mr McDonald said the lawyer's claims would make him the "unluckiest man in Glasgow". |
Nesbitt also insisted the first time he met McKenzie was when they initially appeared in court together at the beginning of this year. | Nesbitt also insisted the first time he met McKenzie was when they initially appeared in court together at the beginning of this year. |
The jury did not believe his claims and took a few hours to return a guilty verdict. | The jury did not believe his claims and took a few hours to return a guilty verdict. |
It emerged after his conviction that Nesbitt has a previous drugs offence dating from the mid-1980s | It emerged after his conviction that Nesbitt has a previous drugs offence dating from the mid-1980s |
Judge Lord Burns deferred sentencing until later this month for reports and remanded both men in custody. | Judge Lord Burns deferred sentencing until later this month for reports and remanded both men in custody. |
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