Ex-heroin addict swaps addiction for pottery classes

One of Cork’s first heroin addicts has swapped his addiction for a pottery class.

Liam Hurley who is now 32, got addicted to alcohol at 13 and by 17 he was addicted to heroin.

Hurley, of 190, Farranferris Avenue, Farranree, Cork, was before Cork District Court yesterday for sentencing on a charge of possession of three deals of heroin in a house that was under Garda surveillance for drug dealing.

His solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, said yesterday: “He had a chronic addiction. He is one of the first people in Cork to become addicted to diamorphine. As recently as the last couple of days he has come off methadone in prison.”

Mr Kelleher said there has been such a turnaround in the defendant’s life he was now, in prison, undertaking courses in art and pottery.

Hurley was serving a serving a seven-month sentence. Yesterday, Judge Leo Malone imposed an eight- month sentence to start from yesterday. That was on a charge of possessing heroin for his own use, to which he pleaded guilty.

Inspector John Deasy said at Cork district court yesterday that, on February 20, Detective Garda Margaret Ryan and Detective Sergeant Seán McCarthy had a surveillance operation outside a house at Church St, off Shandon St, Cork. They saw a lot of people apparently engaging in drugs transactions. They obtained a warrant and carried out a search.

Gardaí found Hurley had three bags of heroin for his own use.