Vigilante will not return to jail

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A vigilante who flushed heroin down the toilet of the man he suspected was dealing to his brother-in-law has had his jail sentence overturned on appeal.

Peter Drummond, 26, stormed into John Nellies' home in February, threatened to kill him and flushed the drugs.

He was given a two-month jail term for breach of the peace.

Drummond, from Blairgowrie, was released on bail 10 days into his sentence and appeal judges have now ruled he should be fined £150.

Too severe

The case was originally heard at Perth Sheriff Court, where Sheriff Robert McCreadie jailed Drummond because the threat to kill could not be condoned and because he had a record for violence.

However, defence advocate Andrew Brown successfully argued at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh that Drummond's threats had been taken too seriously as at the time he was drunk and angry.

Mr Brown said the penalty was too severe given the circumstances of the offence.

Drummond previously told Perth Sheriff Court his relatives had gone through hell because of his brother-in-law's addiction and that dealers were ruining his family.

Nellies, 26, who has a record for drug dealing, appeared in the same court weeks later and was cleared of drug dealing at his Emma Street home.