'My mum had me on heroin when I was eight': How addiction is driving Cork City's crime problem

On a day spent in Cork District Court, the Irish Examiner heard stories of sadness, abject despair, hope... and the occasional comic relief

The woman before the court is just one of the many drug users who are seen on a daily basis in the city centre, and whose presence are behind claims the city's streets are 'grim', or 'no-go'.

 “I’ve been cutting myself since I was 10 years' old. My mum had me on heroin when I was eight. For a while I was doing well, very well.” 

The judge looks down sympathetically towards the distressed young woman wailing from the stand in Cork District Court.