Teen sentenced on drugs and ammunition charges

A 17-year-old boy has received a nine-month suspended sentence for possessing €5,000 worth of drugs as well as shotgun cartridges recovered during searches of his bedroom.

The boy pleaded guilty at the Children's Court with possessing cocaine and heroin, for sale or supply at his former north inner city Dublin home, on July 23 and October 13 last year.

He also admitted a charge under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act for possessing three shotgun cartridges.

Garda Stephen Beatty had told the court a search was carried out during which “diamorphine (heroin) with an estimated value of €2,400, and cocaine worth €300 was recovered.”

“During the search three shotgun cartridges were recovered in his bedroom,” Garda Beatty had also said adding that they were unused rounds.

Garda Susan Roche had told the court that the boy's bedroom was searched again in October last year and heroin worth €2,500 was found as well as cannabis valued at €60.

Judge Bryan Smyth said the offences were serious and that a probation report had outlined a pattern of the teen's involvement with drugs.

It started when he began using cannabis in his early teens and moved on to storing and selling drugs for others.

In mitigation today defence solicitor Michelle Finan told Judge Smyth that the boy had been adversely influenced by his mother's former partner and was vulnerable.

Since the drugs seizures, he has not come to further garda attention and both the boy and his mother had moved away from the community where they had lived in a bid to “sever ties.”

The court heard that the teenager went to live with extended family members and this brought about a change; meanwhile his mother had to “rebuild everything again.”

A relative of the boy said he was apologising on behalf of the entire family for what the teen had done. “When I found out, I could not believe it,” he said adding that he paid for the boy's mother to get a new home.

He also said that since the boy came to live with him, he has started a placement in a training course and “it is unbelievable the change in him.”

Judge Smyth said that he noted the defence submissions but said the offences were extremely serious and it would have been justified if they had been sent forward to the Circuit Court which has wider sentencing powers.

He imposed a nine-month term on the teenager, however, it was suspended on condition he keeps the peace for one year. A probation bond was also imposed with conditions that the boy must continue to attend drug abuse counselling and his training course.