Dealer has sentence hanging over him

A heroin dealer who was warned not to think that a district judge was bluffing was ordered to do 220 hours of community service yesterday and a six-month sentence was left hanging over him.

Judge Olann Kelleher told Andrew Hurley he could do that community service work instead of spending five months in prison. Furthermore he imposed a jail sentence of six months which he suspended.

The sentence was suspended on the basis that Hurley was on a waiting list for a rehabilitation programme. The matter will be back in court in September to verify that he has taken up the place on the programme.