10 years for 'holding' cannabis to pay for christening

A man who agreed to hold €38,000 worth of cannabis resin because he wanted money for his godchild’s christening has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Katherine Delahunt.

Robert McCarthy (aged 23), of Ferrycarrig Green, Coolock, was unemployed at the time and admitted to gardaí that he took the drugs because he was offered €500 to hold them. He needed the money for a christening after his cousin asked him to be godfather for his child.

McCarthy pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at his home on June 14, 2005.

Judge Katherine Delahunt said it was clear that McCarthy was engaged "with persons unknown" to store drugs because he was "hard up".

She accepted that he was not "street smart" and because of this and his financial circumstance he was "a vulnerable person" and his associates were using him.

She sentenced McCarthy to ten years in prison but suspended the last four year on condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years upon his release.

Garda John Dunne told Mr Tony Hunt BL, prosecuting, that a holdall contained 25.5 bars of cannabis was found under McCarthy’s bed. He told gardai he was paid €500 to hold them for other people but said he was too afraid to give any names.

McCarthy was in receipt of social welfare at the time and didn’t make any significant profit from the operation nor did gardaí consider him as a significant person in the drug trade. He had 13 previous convictions including one for burglary.

Gda Dunne agreed with Ms Caroline Biggs BL, defending, that McCarthy was an easy target for more dangerous people because he was not "street smart" and it was known he had financial problems.

He accepted that McCarthy came to his first court appearance with a bag of clothes because he thought he was going to jail that day. He said that in his view it was "a sad case".

Ms Biggs told Judge Delahunt that McCarthy tried to find work but because of his lack of experience and education he hasn’t been successful. He has broken all contact with the peer group he knew at the time and no longer has any friends.