Innishannon man on cannabis charge is sent to prison for a night

WHEN gardaí, armed with a search warrant, visited a house in Innishannon they saw a man entering the window of his bedroom who had hidden three bags of cannabis in his garden.

John McCarthy (32) of Coolmoreen, Innishannon pleaded guilty at Bandon District Court to possessing cannabis as well as possessing cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply.

Sgt Paul Kelly told the court that on December 3rd 2018 Gda Eileen Crowley, along with other gardaí, called to the defendant’s home armed with a search warrant.

‘She was admitted by his father and he showed her John’s bedroom and when she went in she saw a man climbing back into the bedroom window from the garden,’ said Sgt Kelly.

‘He became agitated and was un co-operative but eventually brought gardaí outside and showed them where he had hidden three bags of cannabis herb worth €50 each, a weighing scales and a grinder.’

Gardaí also examined Mr McCarthy’s phone and the information retrieved from it indicated that he was supplying to others.

He was later arrested by arrangement and after caution made certain admissions.

Defence solicitor Diarmuid O’Shea said that his client lives at home with his parents, is a carer for his brother and he has no previous convictions.

The court heard that his mother and her family had been put into care and were dealt with by the Residential Institutions Redress Board, which had a certain knock-on effect on Mr McCarthy.

‘He has two to three friends who all smoke cannabis too and he got it for them. He never gave it to anyone else bar those two or three friends,’ said Mr O’Shea, who added that his client hasn’t smoked since the incident and is willing to undergo drug testing to prove it. Judge James McNulty said there was a ‘degree of connivance and a determination’ on Mr McCarthy’s part to avoid detection.

He ordered him to spend a night in Cork Prison and adjourned the matter to the following day for sentence.

At that court sitting, Mr O’Shea said his client had never seen the inside of a court and ‘within hours he saw the inside of a prison cell.’

Judge McNulty sentenced him to 90 days in prison for the sale or supply charge but suspended it for two years and directed he enter a bond of €1,000 with no cash required. He took into consideration the possession charge.

Judge McNulty also directed Mr McCarthy not to use, consume, possess or supply drugs during this period.

‘Tell your friends where you were,’ said Judge McNulty.                                                 

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