Former Trinity student jailed for drug offences

A Trinity College student who dropped out and operated a 'rickshaw' has been jailed for two years by Judge Des Hogan for having cocaine and 'ecstasy' in his flat three days after gardai seized quantities of the drugs from him.

John Bent, aged 23, of Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty at to four counts of unlawfully possessing cocaine and 'ecstasy' on January 25 and January 28, 2002.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that after receiving confidential information, gardaí found cocaine worth €1500, 'ecstasy' worth €9,036, €1,255 in cash, three weighing scales and a number of plastic bags in Bent's home on January 25, 2002.

Just three days later a further search was conducted after a source again phoned Garda Colm Fitzgerald. This time gardai recovered cocaine worth €3,375 and 13 'ecstasy' tablets worth €156. They also found €4,060 in cash hidden under a bed.

Judge Hogan said that he had no option but to send Bent to jail because of the close proximity of both offences.

"What I can't get over in this case is that he set himself up and put himself back in business within three days of the gardai seizing large quantities of the drugs at his flat," he said.

"It appears that this is a case where the court is perfectly entitled to impose a custodial sentence and that's what I propose to do but I will take into consideration that he may have been pressurised back into it so soon after his first arrest", he concluded.

Gda Fitzgerald said when he interviewed Bent on January 25 he admitted that the drugs were his for the purpose of sale or supply and he had been doing it for about six months. He was fully cooperative but didn't seem to be able to grasp the seriousness of the trouble he was in.

Bent called to Pearse St garda station to talk on January 28 to Gda Fitzgerald about the case and while he was there the officer received a phone call from a confidential source and gardai searched the flat for the second time. Bent was again arrested and charged with both offences.

Mr Brendan McHugh, Bent's uncle, told Mr Luan O Braonain BL, defending, that his nephew was adopted when he was nine months old. His sister and her husband took him in but it was a difficult situation because the couple lived apart in the same house and never spoke.

His adopted father was a schizophrenic and an epileptic. His mother died when he was 13 and he moved down the country to Mr McHugh's farm. He described his nephew as an extremely bright student and worked hard when he lived on the farm.

Mr O Braonain said Bent received 550 points in his Leaving Cert and went on to study Applied Maths in Trinity. However, he failed first year and had to take out a substantial loan, which he had since paid back, to repeat it.

After successfully doing so he dropped out of the college and began to work as a rickshaw operator in Dublin. He had recently started a Media Studies course in Dublin City University.

Mr O Braonain said Bent's offences were nothing more than acts of stupidity and he had great prospects for the future. Society would be best served if his client was left in the community.

He applied to have the case adjourned for a period because Bent might benefit from the preparation of a probation report considering he had never been in trouble with the gardai before.

Judge Hogan refused the application because the evidence was that Bent continued to sell drugs after being arrested and although he admitted that he dabbled in cocaine and 'ecstasy' there was no indication that he suffered from any drug addiction.

Judge Hogan also granted a forfeiture and destruction order in relation to the drugs and a forfeiture order in relation to the cash that was seized.