Laois teenager prosecuted as adult in drugs case
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A Laois teenager found with cannabis during a search of his home in 2024 was prosecuted as an adult, despite being only 17 at the time of the incident.
Curtis Rhodes (19), Carlow appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy charged with possession of cannabis for personal use under section 3 of the ***Misuse of Drugs Act***.
The court heard that on 31 July 2024 at approximately 9.40pm, a search warrant was executed at Chestnut Avenue, Fruithill Manor, Graiguecullen, where he still resides. Mr Rhodes was present during the search, in the course of which a box containing 28 grams of suspected cannabis herb, with an estimated street value of €560, was found concealed in a bin.
A report from Forensic Science Ireland subsequently confirmed the substance was cannabis.
Mr Rhodes’s barrister told the court that while his client was now 19, he had been just 17 at the time of the incident. “He would have been dealt with as a minor and now, through no fault of his own, he is being dealt with as an adult,” the barrister said.
He added that his client had chosen not to challenge the matter on legal grounds. “He’s opted to go a more practical route; he has made admissions and we would rather be upfront with the court rather than explore the legal points,” he said.
The barrister also noted that the matter had been prolonged unnecessarily. He said it “should have been relatively straightforward, but for whatever reason the prosecuting member did not produce statements for another two years”.
The court heard that Mr Rhodes is currently working alongside his father, who is employed in paving. The barrister said his client hoped to start a shoe reselling business, having recently ordered his first stock, and had longer-term plans to open a clothing business.
The barrister described his client as “a significantly different person in character” who no longer smokes and drinks very little. “He is far more into his health and wellbeing,” he said, adding that Mr Rhodes’s mother was present in the courtroom and that he had “a very supportive family around him”.
The barrister submitted that his client, whom he described as “a young man with relatively little means”, had brought €500 to court for a charity of the court’s choosing and expressed the hope that the ***Probation Act*** would be applied. On the question of his client’s age at the time of the offence, he said Mr Rhodes had been “stuck between a rock and a hard place”, noting that he “had only just turned 17 at the time and should have been dealt with as a juvenile”.
Mr Rhodes has two previous convictions, both of which relate to road traffic matters.
Judge Carthy noted the plea of guilty and directed that a total of €1,500 be paid to the court poor box. She said the case would be finalised in late June, at which point she would apply the ***Probation Act*** upon full payment.
***Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme***
