A drug dealer has been jailed after he swung a hammer at the head of a police officer during a raid on an Aberdeen flat.
Renato De Agostini was suspected of dealing heroin from the property on Formartine Road when police forced entry to arrest him and another male.
However, the 21-year-old barricaded himself in the kitchen and, when police burst through the door, he swung a hammer at one officer’s head.
A subsequent search found more than £1,300 worth of heroin in the flat.
Accused was heard discussing drugs
Fiscal depute David Rogers told the court that De Agostini and the other man had arranged to sell heroin from the flat of an acquaintance who lived on Formartine Road by offering him money.
Upon going back to the flat, De Agostini then asked if he could stay in the property, which the man reluctantly agreed to, Mr Rogers said.
He continued: “On January 10 2032 two people attended at the property where they heard the accused and the other male talk about ‘brown’ and ‘wraps’ and saw them in possession of wraps.
“At around 2.45pm the same day, police officers attended at the property and forced entry under the warrant.
“Upon entering the hallway, the officers saw the living room door slam shut and upon entering the living room they saw the kitchen door close and it was held closed by people leaning on it from the other side.”
The officers managed to gain entry to the kitchen and saw De Agostini standing with a hammer that he swung at the head of one officer, but missed.
Both men were arrested and a search of the property unearthed more than a dozen wraps of heroin with a total street value of £1,340.
De Agostini’s DNA was subsequently found on wraps found in his jacket and on the kitchen floor.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of being concerned in the supply of heroin and a second charge of assault by attempting to strike a police officer with a hammer.
Brought into selling drugs from young age
Defence solicitor Iain Hingston described the situation for his client as “fairly depressing”.
“I have had a number of dealings with this young man and he is extremely polite and personable,” he said.
“From a young age he has been brought into this industry and he’s not far up the chain, but it’s always the young men like him who find themselves here [in court].”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told De Agostini that he had pleaded guilty to two “serious offences”.
“You involved yourself directly in the sale of a Class A drug in this community and you were found in possession of individually wrapped packages,” he said.
“When you saw police officers, you then attempted to strike one of them with a hammer.”
Sheriff Miller sentenced, De Agostini, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, to 26 months in prison, backdated to January 11 this year.
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