Young Corkman should be 'eternally grateful' mother rang gardaí after drugs discovery

Defence senior counsel said the young man’s mother made the kind of call that no mother would ever hope to make but did so because her teenage son’s life was out of control

Gardaí had found a rucksack in the young man's bedroom which contained cannabis with a value of €25,500. File picture: Getty

A young man whose own mother rang the gardaí when she found a €25,000 cannabis stash in his bedroom should be “eternally grateful” to her for stopping him on a slippery slope to destruction.

Defence senior counsel, Tom Creed, said the young man’s mother made the kind of call that no mother would ever hope to make but did so because at the time her teenage son’s life was so out of control that she wondered if he would be “dead or alive”.

Mr Creed submitted at the sentencing hearing on Monday that in light of the extensive efforts made by the accused to turn his life around that he could avoid a mandatory 10-year sentence and instead get a fully suspended jail term.

Judge Dara Hayes had adjourned sentencing for one year to Monday to see if the accused would take the opportunity to continue with his rehabilitation and reduce his risk of re-offending. In all the circumstances, Judge Hayes has now imposed a fully suspended sentence of three years and nine months.

During the sentencing, the judge said to the man, who is 22 now but was 19 at the time: 

You should be eternally grateful to your mother for getting you off that slippery slope.

The judge noted from background submissions and reports that he did acknowledge “he was lucky to be arrested—that it gave him the opportunity to change his life”.

Garda Chris Campbell responded to a call from Margaret Kennelly to come to her home at Convent Lane, Bishopstown, Cork, on September 26, 2020. 

“I met Paul Montgomery and his mother, and she expressed concerns to me about his use of drugs and we were invited into his bedroom to search his room. A rucksack was pointed out to us, and it contained cannabis to a value of €25,500,” Garda Campbell said.

Initially, the teenager was not co-operative when questioned but in a second interview he made admissions to the sale or supply of cannabis. €1,700 in cash was also found together with a weighing-scales, large and small baggies, and a knife for cutting up and dividing the cannabis.

“I don’t believe he was making money—I believe it was just something he got caught up in. He was 19 then. He was involved with a group who were known to the gardaí, but he is not involved with this group anymore,” Garda Campbell said.

Friends contacted him by Snapchat to arrange the purchase of cannabis. He had no previous convictions. Garda Campbell said the young man was now in college and had the support of his family.

During cross-examination, Mr Creed SC said: “When you arrived at the house it was a fairly fraught situation. You thought you were coming to a domestic incident. His mother was up to high-doh because of his behaviour. She said matters had got completely out of hand and her son had cannabis in his bedroom. 

"She invited gardaí onto the premises. Gardaí asked him about the source of the drugs, but he feared for himself and his family if he divulged that. You (gardaí) accept that as a genuine situation. These people can be quite threatening.” Garda Campbell agreed.