Scots pub boss who crashed into cop cars while fleeing with £110k of drugs dodges jail

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A cocktail bar owner who crashed into police cars while fleeing undercover cops with £110,000 of drugs has dodged jail.Callum Woods flipped a police vehicle onto its roof while trying to escape drugs squad officers in Edinburgh.The 26-year-old, who runs The Daiquiri bar in the capital, claimed he was compelled to take part in drug dealing by gangsters.Woods said thugs targeted his business in an extortion campaign, first demanding cash then his assistance in their trafficking operation.He appeared for sentencing at the city’s sheriff court on Friday when a sheriff said he was “grappling” with the “credibility” of the threats claim.Sheriff John Mundy questioned why Woods never went to police and whether his allegation had since been probed by the force.But the sheriff said he was “prepared, with some hesitation, to give it credibility”.First offender Woods was given the maximum 300 hours of unpaid work and put on an eight-month curfew between 7pm and 7am.He was also disqualified from driving for 16 months.He pled guilty in February to being involved in the supply of drugs and dangerous driving.Woods, who also works as an electrician, reversed a transit van into an unmarked police car after officers caught him picking up the cannabis haul.The cops gave chase and tried to use a “boxing-in manoeuvre” at the Newcraighall roundabout to halt the entrepreneur.But Woods’ van collided with one of the cars, with both spinning out of control and landing upside down.At Friday’s hearing, defence agent Richard Freeman said Woods committed the offences after “living hour by hour, minute by minute in fear”.Woods agreed to become involved in drug dealing to “fend off” gangsters, he added.Asked by the sheriff if his client reported the