Teen came from Manchester to Dublin to attend party, court told
A TEENAGER arrested for obstructing a Garda drug search had travelled to Dublin from Manchester during the coronavirus lockdown to go to a party, a court has heard.
Moshood Adekoyeni (18) made the 300km trip with cousins before hurling abuse at gardaí during the search at a gathering in the city centre.
It is understood the group came to Ireland by ferry before the incident happened earlier this week. Mr Adekoyeni was a UK resident and his journey here was not the subject of any prosecution.
Judge Grainne Malone applied the Probation Act after hearing the accused had already spent a day and a half in custody before his court appearance.
Mr Adekoyeni, with an address at Barnwell Court, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to obstructing a Garda drugs search.
Dublin District Court heard gardaí called to an apartment at Cope Street in Temple Bar at 4am on Monday on foot of a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act, to carry out a search.
Mr Adekoyeni was “quite abusive and continually shouted at the gardaí and obstructed them from carrying out a proper search due to his aggressive nature toward gardai”, a garda told the court.
The accused, who had no previous convictions, was originally from Nigeria and had been resident here in the past, his solicitor Donal Quigley said.
He had come to Ireland with his mother five years ago, and lived in Tallaght and Balbriggan. She moved to Manchester three years ago and they were now “happily ensconced” there, Mr Quigley said.
At the time of the incident, the accused had come back for a visit with cousins. “He was over for some sort of event, he probably shouldn’t have in the current environment,” Mr Quigley said.
On the day, one of the people at the party – an unknown girl – was suspected of having something on her and was being searched.
Mr Adekoyeni had been trying to maintain the innocence of people there. Neither he nor his cousins were being targeted in the search.
The accused was taken by surprise by what happened and “should have reacted better”, Mr Quigley said. He had never been in a situation like this before and “reacted badly”.
He now knew to be “more respectful” if it ever happened again.
The accused had been in college but had left and was doing an apprenticeship in painting and decorating, Mr Quigley continued.
He had no criminal record here or in the UK and regretted the way he behaved on the day.
The judge was told gardaí eventually conducted the search but nothing was found.
The judge took into account the fact that Mr Adekoyeni had been in custody for a day and half already, and had apologised.
“He’s being given a chance and he should take it,” the judge said.
She applied the Probation of Offenders Act, leaving the accused without a recorded conviction.
The charge against him was under Section 21 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Mr Adekoyeni was not required to speak during the hearing and was immediately released from custody after his case concluded.
‘He was over for some sort-of-event–he probably shouldn’t’