A PARKHALL drug dealer has been spared a prison sentence after a fire destroyed his family’s home.

Bruce Buchanan, 46, pleaded guilty last year to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cannabis between September 25 and December 25, 2018.

A court hearing last month was told that Buchanan’s family home on Duntocher Road, had been badly damaged in a fire, started by one of his children, on December 10 – the night before he was due to be sentenced.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service later confirmed they attended an incident at 7.29pm that night after reports of individuals being “trapped” in the property.

At the December 11 hearing, Buchanan was given time by Sheriff Maxwell Hendry to get his affairs in order following the fire.

His solicitor, Michael Poggi, told Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday that Buchanan and his family had been given temporary “emergency decant” accommodation in the town’s Graham Avenue, which was expected to be their home for the next 12 months.

Mr Poggi told Sheriff Hendry: “I’m instructed once again to express his gratitude for the understanding extended to him on the last occasion at a difficult time for his family.”

Mr Poggi said Buchanan’s three children all had the same mental health issues which would make it extremely difficult for his wife to cope if Buchanan were to be jailed.

“The question is whether this is a case where, exceptionally, the court could step back from the imposition of a custodial sentence,” Mr Poggi continued.

“The consequences of him losing his liberty would be particularly hard on Mrs Buchanan and the three children.”

Sheriff Hendry replied: “Mr Buchanan chose to commit offences over three months – serious drug-related offences involving heroin and cannabis.

“To what extent can he now expect sympathy, in the full knowledge that he committed these offences, well aware they were likely to attract a prison sentence, and well aware of the consequences for his wife and his children?”

Mr Poggi said: “He acknowledges that no-one but he has put himself, his family and his liberty in the precarious position that they are in.”

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Sheriff Hendry told Buchanan: “You have been a cog in the machine that ensures heroin and cannabis are spread out through the community and cause misery where they go – and that is deserving of a prison sentence. However, I feel I cannot ignore your family circumstances.”

Buchanan was handed a community payback order which will see him supervised by social workers for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

Additionally, Buchanan will be electronically tagged and restricted to his home every night from 7pm to 7am until mid-July.