*Photograph: John Mangan
A ‘typical country lad’ who acted as a local drugs courier in West Clare is facing a ‘stiff’ sentence for a drugs offence, a court has heard.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Grainne Malone imposed a seven month jail term on Stephen Healy (28) for dangerous driving and driving without insurance at Mullagh Rd, Milltown Malbay on April 5th 2024.
Mr Healy of The Hand, Cloonalheen East, Miltown Malbay was disqualified at the time from driving and Judge Malone also imposed a six year disqualification on the West Clare man.
Garda Patrick Hanley told the court that on date, Mr Healy was driving at a speed of 160kmph and Judge Malone said that Mr Healy’s driving was of serious concern on the narrow country roads in the area.
Solicitor for Mr Healy, Daragh Hassett said that apart from the road traffic offences in April 2024, Mr Healy “remains in a lot of bother and is expecting a considerable, stiff sentence” at Ennis Circuit Court.
In February at Ennis Circuit Court, Mr Healy pleaded guilty to two sets of offences contained in two separate Books of Evidence.
One of the charges relates to possession of cannabis and cocaine valued in excess of €13,000 with intent to sell or supply on July 11th 2023 at a location in Clare.
Addressing Judge Malone, Mr Hassett described Mr Healy as “a typical country lad, a mechanic by trade”
He said, “Mr Healy has had a huge difficulty with cannabis for many years”.
Mr Healy received a suspended two year prison term in May 2022 for the possession of drugs with intent to sell or supply.
Mr Hassett said, “In the circuit court, he did get a chance from Judge Gerald Keys and there was an emphasis on drug rehabilitation. He complied with that order and stayed drug free”.
Mr Hassett said, “Mr Healy had a legacy drug debt to third parties from that case which did not disappear with his plea. There were drugs intercepted in that case which were taken from him and after a period of time the persons who ultimately controlled those drugs came back to him looking for their dues”.
Mr Hassett said that Mr Healy had moved on into new employment, had been drug free “had turned things around when they came back looking for their dues”.
Mr Hassett said, “Instead of going to the Gardai, he assisted them in their endeavours”.
Mr Hassett said that Mr Healy’s re-offending is a symptom of our country at present, where someone from a good background, from working people “takes up cannabis as a leisure drug and within a short period of time is stuck in a cycle and system of assisting people who are in far more senior positions of the trade and who rarely if ever appear before the courts”.
Mr Hassett said, “He was a local courier for these people and knows he is in a huge amount of bother” with a sentencing looming at Ennis Circuit Court.
Mr Hassett said that Mr Healy had gone two years without any drugs and was now doing level best to access drug services in the prison where has been on remand since last November.
Judge Malone said that it was very unfortunate that Mr Healy didn’t take his chance from the circuit court from 2022.
Judge Malone imposed a five month term for driving without insurance and disqualified him from driving for six years and imposed a consecutive two month prison term for the dangerous driving and also imposed a four year driving ban to run concurrent to the six year ban. The prison terms were backdated to last November when Mr Healy went into custody at Limerick prison where “he is putting his head down” and works in the kitchens.
Mr Healy’s sentencing for the drugs offence is due to be fixed for a future date at Ennis Circuit Court next Tuesday.
