Highland offender in court ‘many times’ gets drug treatment opportunity
A Conon Bridge man has been given another chance to get his life back on track and stop taking drugs after a sheriff instructed that he be released from custody to take part in the second part of a drug treatment and testing order.
This came when Jason Cochrane (36), of Windsor Place, appeared by video link before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald as she determined, with the assistance of an initial social work report, whether he would be suitable for the order.
Inverness Sheriff Court previously heard that police attended at a property in Dingwall and were assaulted and threatened by Cochrane, whom they were concerned about.
He admitted repeatedly kicking two constables on the body when they attended at an address in the town’s Ferry Road on April 15.
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told Sheriff Gary Aitken then that Cochrane also adopted an aggressive attitude towards the officers and threatened their families.
Defending, Graham Mann said: "This was a welfare check. He was only liberated from prison eight days before this incident. He has reached the point that he would like to deal with his drug taking."
The lawyer said Cochrane had places available to him in two rehab centres to support him on his release.
Sheriff Macdonald told Cochrane: "You have been before me many times and different sentences have been applied, including prison. But you have offers of help to stop your cycle of offending. This is your chance now."
Cochrane was released from remand and will appear again on June 26 when the sheriff will get social workers' opinion on whether or not Cochrane is suitable to proceed.
