Grandfather tagged over drugs charges
Albert Maycock, 72, has become one of the oldest people in Plymouth to be tagged, after police searched his home in the Stoke area of the city and found some of the class A drug stashed in a watering can, city magistrates were told.
Police also discovered a wrap of crack cocaine hidden inside a child's chocolate egg in a kitchen cupboard and two crack pipes in the living room, the court heard. Maycock, of Albert Road, told police he had found the watering can in his garden, and did not know the white powder inside it was a drug.
He also denied any knowledge of the wrap of crack cocaine found in a children's egg, or the crack pipes which were found.
However, when Maycock was brought to court, he pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing 24.07g of crack cocaine on July 23 this year.
His solicitor, David Teague, said Maycock lived alone in a self-contained flat within a shared house.
Magistrates heard Maycock said he had been strimming in his garden the day before when he found the watering can.
He thought the white powder stashed inside was "strange" but decided to take the can inside and to think what to do about it overnight.
Maycock was stopped in his car by police at 9am the next morning on another matter, the court heard.
He was arrested and police were granted a warrant to search his home – which uncovered the drugs.
Mr Teague said there was no intention by Maycock to use the drugs found by police.
He said Maycock was of previous good character, who lived on his pension and did not have a drug habit.
He said Maycock suffered from asbestosis from working in the dockyard at one point in his life and was also a chronic asthmatic.
Because of his bad health, magistrates were told Maycock would be unable to abide by certain community punishments, such as carrying out unpaid community work.
They gave Maycock a six-month curfew order, to be electronically tagged to stay indoors from 6pm to 6am daily until May 19 next year. He was also ordered to pay £60 court costs.
After the case, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said Maycock must be one of the oldest people convicted to be tagged by a court.
Det Sgt John Ardron said: "It is a continual challenge for us in relation to drugs on the streets of Plymouth, but we feel we are succeeding."
