Judge vows to jail all cocaine offenders

A JUDGE has sent out a stark warning that anybody who appears before him charged with the possession of cocaine in the west Cork area will face jail time.

Judge James McNulty told a young man who appeared before Skibbereen District Court yesterday on a section 6 public order offence to spread the message among his friends.

“The possession of cocaine from now on in west Cork will be dealt with on a custodial basis, even a first offence. It’s important you share that with your friends, those who have moved beyond the use of alcohol to cocaine. This judge lives in the real world and know there’s a lot [of cocaine] around,” he warned.

Judge McNulty was dealing with the case of a young man who admitted that he had tried every drug apart from heroin. He had attended a detox programme but had difficulty accepting he had an addiction problem.

“My view is that young adults, particularly young men are just like children. They need boundaries,” said the judge. He remanded the defendant on continuing bail to appear before him again on November 13.