A teenage girl passed out at her desk and crashed on to the floor after smoking cannabis she bought at the gates of a Highland school.

An ambulance was called and the 15-year-old spent several hours being treated in hospital.

The drugs were sold to the girl and her friends at the entrance to Millburn Academy in Inverness by Black Isle man Ross Ketterer.

He appeared at the city’s sheriff court yesterday and admitted supplying the Class B substances outside the 1,100-pupil academy.

The court was told that one of the pupils went to study classes for forthcoming exams and got Ketterer’s phone number from a pal.

Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart added: “It would appear that she had been calling another individual over a two-day period to try to find someone who could get cannabis.

“She phoned Ketterer and arranged to purchase one gram of cannabis from him for £15.

“She and two classmates then clubbed together to come up with the purchase price.

“A short while later, he met one of the girls outside the front gate to the academy where he handed over one gram of cannabis in a small carrier bag.

“The recipient then met up with her classmates who rolled up the joints and distributed them.”

Sheriff David Sutherland heard that two of the girls each smoked one cannabis cigarette – but the third girl smoked three joints.

Mr Urquhart added: “About an hour-and-a-half later the third girl turned pale, began to feel very unwell and fell off the side of her seat, hitting her head on the floor where she lay immobile.

“Teachers called an ambulance and the paramedics established she had consumed cannabis. A police investigation followed.”

Mr Urquhart said the girl was taken to the accident and emergency department at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness but was discharged the same day after treatment.

He said police went to the hospital and spoke to the girl about what happened.

Mr Urquhart added: “She gave an account of having smoked cannabis that had been obtained from someone named ‘Ross’ to whom she had spoken.

“One of the other girls was able to provide Ketterer’s name and address.

“He was detained and admitted meeting a girl at Millburn and supplying one gram of cannabis for £15.”

Sentence on Ketterer, of 15 Hillpark Brae, Munlochy, was deferred until September 7 for psychiatric and background reports.

After the incident on May 9 last year, parents called for police to search lockers at Millburn Academy.

And a month later a multi-agency event was held at the school with drink and drugs safety on the agenda

The event brought together parents, carers and professionals from a wide range of agencies who work with young people.