Pair admit procuring drugs for Katy French
Kieron Ducie, aged 43, of Lamberstown Manor, Kilmessan Co Meath, and Ann Corcoran, aged 32, of Tolka Road, Dublin, admitted that between 6pm on Dec 1, 2007, and 10am on Dec 2, 2007, they procured another man, Russell Memery, to possess cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply to another.
Two years ago, Memery received a two-and-half-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to possess cocaine for sale or supply.
Ms French collapsed at Ducie’s home on Dec 2 and died in Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan, four days later. Supt Michael Devine told the court yesterday an autopsy showed the model died from a brain seizure brought about by ingesting cocaine.
Supt Devine said Ms French contacted Ducie at 11pm on Saturday, Dec 1, saying she wanted to call out to Corcoran, who was in Ducie’s house and asked him to arrange a supply of cocaine for her.
Ducie then contacted Memery and, following a number of calls which also involved Corcoran and Ms French, Memery arranged to meet Ms French at the Statoil Filling Station in Clonee to hand over the drugs.
The court heard the model paid €200, which Memery gave to another man. Corcoran then met Ms French at Warrenstown and led her to Kilmessan where they spent the night drinking and talking.
Ducie told gardaí he was on a night out in Dublin and returned to the house at 6.30am and the two women were still up. He said he put Ms French to bed downstairs about 8am and he and Corcoran retired upstairs.
The defendants said they heard a bang about 8.15-8.30am, and when they went downstairs they found Ms French lying on the ground.
Ducie said Ms French was face down and “bouncing up and down”. Her arms and legs were straight out and her eyes were bulging. He and Corcoran put her into his 4x4 and took her to hospital in Navan.
Supt Devine said phone records showed Ducie made a 999 call at 10.05am and arrived at the hospital at 10.12am. Phone traffic showed he made a number of calls to Memery between 9.59am and 1pm.
The court heard that a nurse noted Ms French was unresponsive when she arrived at the hospital and when the medical team there asked Corcoran if Ms French had taken drugs, Corcoran replied they had been drinking and she had not seen Ms French take drugs but added that she had gone to the toilet several times during the night.
Bernard Condon, defending Ducie, said his client, a father of two, regretted and was remorseful for what had happened.
Judge Michael O’Shea described Ms French’s death as “terrible and tragic” and remarked that it would be inhuman not to express sympathy for the French family who would have to bear the cross of her death for the rest of their lives.
The judge imposed a sentence of two and a half years on Ducie and a sentence of two years on Corcoran, both suspended for two years. Ducie and Corcoran left the court without comment.
