A TEENAGER who sold ecstasy to a 15-year-old schoolgirl who nearly died after swallowing five of the deadly pills escaped going to jail.

Craig McDougall, 18, supplied ten tabs of the killer party drug to the girl and her friend.

McDougall, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, charged £20 for the potentially lethal batch which he passed on to Kelly Brown and Denise Stewart.

But events almost turned to tragedy when Brown - who turned 16 this month - nearly died in hospital after becoming seriously ill from taking the drug.

McDougall had earlier admitted supplying the Class A drugs to the girls and at Hamilton Sheriff Court he was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.

He was also put on probation for one year.

An earlier hearing was told McDougall had met the two girls in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, and sold them 10 tablets for £20 on April 19 this year.

The girls then divided the tablets between them and swallowed five each.

But shortly afterwards Brown began to feel unwell and an ambulance was called as she struggled with her breathing.

When paramedics arrived they began treating Brown but as they did Stewart collapsed and both girls were rushed to Wishaw General Hospital.

At the hospital medics observed that Brown was having severe breathing problems and she was taken to a critical care unit and put on a ventilator to assist her breathing.

A consultant at the hospital later described her condition as life threatening.

Denise Stewart was not as seriously ill and was allowed home from hospital on April 21. Brown was released the next day.

McDougall was later detained by police investigating the incident and was interviewed at Rutherglen Police station where he admitted supplying drugs to the girls.

Defence lawyer Sandy Morrison said McDougall's actions had been 'out of character'.

Sentencing McDougall, Sheriff Joyce Powrie branded him 'stupid'.

She added: "If you break your probation there is only one place you will be going."