Laois man admitted to purchasing cannabis in bulk
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A THREE-month suspended sentence was imposed on a barber who admitted purchasing cannabis in bulk for his own use when he appeared before Portlaoise District Court last week.
Liam Campbell (34), Farnans, Ballickmoyler had previously pleaded guilty to possessing drugs for his own use and to possessing drugs for sale or supply at Rockview Green, Mountrath Road, Portlaoise on 30 October.
It was before the court last week for finalisation.
Outlining the facts in the case, Garda Sgt Kirby said that at 9.30pm that night, gardaí carried out a search of the house in Portlaoise and found 71grams of cannabis in it valued at €1,420.
He said that Mr Campbell had taken full responsibility for the ownership of the drugs at the time and that he has three previous convictions for possessing drugs.
The defendant’s solicitor Brian Duffy said that his client had been using cannabis almost on a daily basis to deal with medical conditions with a dysfunctional family situation he had at the time.
“He had been homeless and couch-surfing,” said Mr Duffy. “He is now staying with friends. He is having difficulty in obtaining accommodation but has re-engaged with a counsellor. He accepts that cannabis is a difficulty for him. If he could get appropriate accommodation, he is a man who could go forward in a most appropriate way. He’s doing his best to get back on his feet. He was buying cannabis in bulk for his own use.” Judge Andrew Gubbins said it appeared as though the defendant was using the drug for his own use and no garda evidence was supplied indicating that there was any drug paraphrenia, weighing scales or tick list found.
“It was bulk buying and he was ingesting quite a quantity,” said Mr Duffy.
Judge Gubbins noted that Mr Campbell “appears to be addressing his addiction issues, but it was a significant amount of cannabis for personal use. However, I accept that it was for personal use and a coping mechanism for his difficulties at the time.” He went on to convict the defendant of the offence, imposed a three-month custodial sentence and suspended it for 12 months.
