Cork paramedic addicted to Oxycontin avoids jail after driving under influence of cocaine
Cork Circuit Appeals Court heard Martina O’Sullivan became addicted to Oxycontin following an accident that occurred during her work.
An advanced paramedic who became addicted to the painkilling drug Oxycontin has avoided jail sentences — for forging a prescription and driving under the influence of cocaine — by cooperating completely in her rehabilitation.
Judge Helen Boyle said at Cork Circuit Appeals Court — where Martina O’Sullivan appealed against sentences of five months and nine months — that the appellant was engaging in every way and cooperating fully with the services.
Alison McCarthy barrister reminded Judge Boyle that the appeal had been adjourned previously as the judge felt that not enough time had elapsed since the offences.
State solicitor Frank Nyhan confirmed this and said to Judge Boyle: “On the last occasion you were satisfied with the progress but you felt it needed more time.”
Judge Boyle agreed to suspend the two sentences that had been imposed on the appellant at Cork District Court and Mallow District Court.
Ms O’Sullivan had been sentenced to five months for several offences including repeatedly driving under the influence of cocaine and having no insurance.
She was also sentenced to the longer term for forging a prescription and presenting it at a pharmacy in Mallow.
Sergeant Pat Lyons said when the case first came up at Cork District Court, a motorist on the Cork-Mallow Road was so concerned about Martina O’Sullivan driving onto the wrong side of the road, and otherwise driving erratically, that he managed to overtake her and signal for her to stop.
Judge Olann Kelleher said of this intervention: “Members of the public have to be commended for stopping her before someone was killed on the Mallow Road, which is a dangerous road. People on the Mallow Road that day are lucky to be alive.”
Judge Kelleher imposed a jail term of five months on 44-year-old Martina O’Sullivan of 14 Upper St Joseph’s Road, Mallow, County Cork, on counts including dangerous driving, having no insurance, drug driving, and possession of Diamorphine (heroin) for her own use.
The heroin possession was detected at Charlemont Terrace, Wellington Road, Cork, when Martina O’Sullivan was seen discarding items in her car. A bag of heroin was recovered. It had a street value of €280 and she admitted having it for her own personal use.
When she was later tested for the presence of intoxicants in her blood, cocaine use was detected.
The incident on Mallow Road occurred back on September 26, 2019, when a concerned motorist called gardaí and notified them that he had managed to get another motorist to stop and pull in after she had been driving erratically.
Sgt Lyons said: “She appeared to be disoriented. She didn’t know where she was.”
When she was blood-tested after this incident, traces of Benzodiazepine, opiates, and cocaine were discovered. She had been driving from Mallow to Cork and drove into the path of oncoming traffic.
Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said at the time Martina O’Sullivan had qualified as an advanced paramedic and she was based at Mallow Hospital for a period and had her own jeep for travelling to emergency situations.
On one occasion she was dealing with a man who fell under machinery on a farm and went into a diabetic coma.
Mr Kelleher said that while Ms O’Sullivan was trying to treat the patient in this difficult situation he rolled over and “she got crushed between him and the machine.” She was seriously injured.
“She was put on medication — she was put on Oxycontin. She might as well have been prescribed Diamorphine. She was on it for two years,” Mr Kelleher said.
He said she was later put on similar drugs and had to go cold turkey to come off the drugs. Mr Kelleher said she was incredibly sick.
“As an advanced paramedic, she knew where people went to get illicit tablets. Someone said: ‘These will help you’,” Mr Kelleher said in relation to the accused getting on to illegal drugs.
“Before Oxycontin she had not got as much as a parking ticket. Since all of this she has stabilised from Oxycontin but she has a long road,” Mr Kelleher said.
Now on appeal, Judge Helen Boyle has acknowledged that the appellant succeeded in travelling that road.
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