Drugs case sent to Green Street

A North Louth man who was found to be growing cannabis in grow tents at home and who said he was cultivating it to ‘self medicate’ for depression and ‘didn’t want to buy off drug dealers’, has been referred to the drugs court in Dublin by Dundalk’s new judge.

Sean Morris, (27), Brentwood, Ballyoonan, Omeath, admitted, at a sitting of the district court last year, to having eight plants, which Gardai estimated to be worth €6,400.

The court was told how Gardai executed a search warrant at the property on September 1 2015 and discovered two grow tents in the middle of the hallway.

Morris, who was the only person in the property, was charged with having cannabis for sale or supply. He has no previous convictions.

Barrister Sarah Jane Judge said her client is currently unemployed but has ‘a strong work history’.

A number of references were handed into the judge on Mor- ris’s behalf and the barrister added that he had previously worked as a barman in Galway and had also worked in America.

Ms Judge said this incident was borne out of ‘extreme stupidity’ as Morris suffers from depression and severe anxiety and ‘ by some strange reasoning, rather than buying cannabis off drug dealers, he was going to grow it himself ’.

Mr Judge said: ‘Anyone reasonable would see the stupidity of that’. In addition, the barrister said Morris’s father was in court and was ‘absolutely mortified’ by what was going on.

Ms Judge explained her client’s parents had separated while he was in the USA and his mother is unwell. He returned to help his dad raise the two other children and with his business during the recession.

Morris ‘shows great capability in the work environment’, Ms Judge said but he would be barred from travelling abroad again if a drug conviction was on his record.

The case had been adjourned to last week for a probation report. Solicitor Sean T O’Reilly, who had instructed Ms Judge in the matter last year, said he no longer acts for Morris, who was not in court when the case was first called.

A short time later, the case was called again and Judge John Coughlan wanted to know where he had been. The defendant said: ‘I didn’t know it would be first thing in the morning’.

The Probation Service had asked for the case to be adjourned for four months. As the case was being adjourned for a short time, Judge Coughlan told Morris: ‘I’m just going to say to you I’m mindful to put you into custody’.

Solicitor Paula Tiernan said she was representing Morris and probation report was quite positive.

Judge Coughlan said he would send the defendant to the drugs court at Green Street in Dublin on March 22. Morris agreed and the case was adjourned to today ( Wednesday).