THE successful struggle of a former professional footballer to

overcome his drug habit will help other young addicts, the High Court in

Glasgow heard yesterday.

Colin McNair, 24, who turned to crime in his desperation for drugs,

had to be locked up alone at home to endure withdrawal symptoms. But

McNair, who formerly played with Hearts, Falkirk, Motherwell, and

Dundee, has emerged drug free, said solicitor-advocate Maurice Smyth,

defending.

McNair, of The Leys, Bishopbriggs, admitted being involved in

supplying drugs at his home in July last year and in Northgate Road,

Glasgow, in March last. He also admitted struggling with police.

The Judge, Lord Abernethy, told McNair that normally he would have

been sent to prison for these offences. But he added: ''I have been

impressed by the attempts you have made to rid yourself of the frightful

addiction that you had.

''I do not want to do anything to upset this progress. It is more in

the public interest to further that progress than to send you to prison

with all that involves.''

Lord Abernethy placed McNair on probation for 16 months and ordered

him to do 200 hours community service.

Earlier, the court heard how the drug squad raided McNair's home while

his parent's were on holiday in July last year.

They saw several people in the living room and showed them their

search warrant and identification through the window.

McNair was seen running upstairs and the officers forced their way in

and ran after him to a bathroom. The toilet was flushed before he came

out, but the officers still found paper folds of heroin worth #240 and

#75 worth of amphetamines in the house.

McNair was then seen standing alone in a street known for drug dealing

on March 23 last. Police searched him and found a brown medicine bottle

containing white and green tablets in his underpants.

These were found to be five Temazepam tablets and 39 painkillers,

which McNair said he was going to sell for ''ten bob'' a painkiller and

#1.50 an ''egg'' (Temazepam). He also told police he was a drug user.

Mr Smyth said McNair, a promising footballer since the age of 13, was

selling these tablets in desperation to get money for heroin.

The solicitor-advocate said the root of McNair's problem was his

addiction to the drug. ''It took hold of him with frightening speed, the

onset so rapid it left him hopelessly and dangerously addicted.''

Mr Smyth said it not only cost the footballer his career, but led him

to steal from his own mother and become involved in a mugging. His

mother was distraught at such an uncharacteristic decline in his conduct

and reported him to police.

McNair was prosecuted and given 18 months probation for stealing from

his mother and had sentence deferred for the mugging.

Mr Smyth said: ''The problem with drug addiction is that the person is

really in an almost relentless process of destroying himself and has

little or no control over what he or she is doing.''

After his arrest McNair's problem worsened and he found himself

injecting drugs, where he had previously smoked them. But McNair was

determined to rid himself of his addiction and after trying various

methods was locked in his home, alone, to suffer withdrawal symptoms.

Mr Smyth said: ''The road to success is paved with failure after

failure and eventually he has emerged from his ordeal free of drugs.''

He is now on the way to recovery and is not only determined to

continue, but also to take responsibility to help other young people

beat drugs.

Mr Smyth said the accused was a public figure, known to take drugs and

now known to have won the battle against them, and he wanted to help

others to do likewise.