Troubled Harrison set for court after arrest over drugs

Published on Thursday 1 February 2007 01:24

THE decline of the former world boxing champion Scott Harrison reached new depths last night when it emerged he had been arrested on drugs charges.

The 29-year-old was arrested in Glasgow city centre along with a 35-year-old man around 6pm on Tuesday.

Harrison was held at Stewart Street police station after his arrest in Sauchiehall Street and is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today.

Harrison was due to appear in a Spanish court tomorrow, where he stands accused of attempted car theft and assault.

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm two men, aged 29 and 35, were arrested and detained in connection with alleged drugs offences."

The boxer, from Cambuslang, near Glasgow, spent almost five weeks in a jail near Malaga after he was arrested in Spain on 6 October.

He was detained by the Guardia Civil in the Costa del Sol over allegations of assault and trying to steal a car.

Harrison was due to appear in court in Coin, close to the prison where he was held.

Tuesday's arrest is the latest in a string of incidents to hit Harrison, who has suffered a dramatic fall from grace since winning the World Boxing Organisation featherweight title in 2002.

In December, he lost his WBO featherweight title after withdrawing from his title defence fight.

He had been scheduled to defend his title at London's ExCel Arena on 9 December last year, but he pulled out on medical advice after he was released from the Spanish prison.

Harrison was due to make the seventh defence of his second reign as WBO champion against the unbeaten London challenger Nicky Cook, but he failed to turn up for his mandatory final British Boxing Board of Control check weigh-in.

The promoter Frank Warren launched a scathing attack on the fighter after the withdrawal.

But despite fears that his boxing career was over, his manager, Barry Hughes, said he was convinced that the fighter could beat his battle with alcohol and return to regain a world title at a higher weight.

Earlier this month, Harrison managed to stave off bankruptcy by promising to sell "one or two" of his houses to meet a tax bill of more than 83,000.

The Advocate General had raised a sequestration action against him at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs.

Lord Emslie granted Harrison a six-week extension to raise the money.

Harrison turned professional in 1996 and marked his debut with a second-round knockout.

In 2000, he won the Commonwealth featherweight title and two years later clinched the WBO featherweight title at the Braehead Arena near Glasgow.

In April 2005, he was banned from every pub, club and hotel in East Kilbride following a string of allegations of aggressive behaviour.

In May last year, he checked into the Priory clinic for depression and alcohol-related problems.

In September, he split with his then manager, Mr Maloney, to link up with Mr Hughes, who is understood to have posted bail in Spain to have Harrison released.

It is thought that Mr Hughes could lose thousands of pounds if the boxer does not turn up in Coin tomorrow without an explanation that is accepted by the Spanish court.

Mr Hughes was unavailable for comment last night.