Longford man escapes sanction over drugs charges

A Longford man was spared criminal sanction at last week’s District Court sitting after being charged with two separate drug related offences in the county town.

Edward McDonagh, 2 Victory Court, Earl Street, Longford was given the benefit of the Probation Act by Judge Bernadette Owens following separate incidents on September 13, 2021 and November 18 last year.

The former charge, the court heard, stemmed from an incident along the Strokestown Road, Longford, during which the accused was found with cocaine.

John Quinn, defending, said his client pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and was fully acceptive of his culpability.

He also revealed Mr McDonagh was trying to turn his life around by addressing his addiction issues and source permanent accommodation.

“He was on the methadone programme and is fully compliant with it and has the support of the Simon Community and he is doing well,” he said.

Sgt Mark Mahon, for the State, agreed with that appraisal in respect of Mr McDonagh’s early guilty plea.

Bríd Mimnagh, in defence of Mr McDonagh’s other charge of being found with three alprazolam tablets, insisted the drugs had, in fact, been prescribed to him by his GP.

She said when gardaí carried out a search on her client, they were simply tablets he had failed to consume.

“It was prescribed to him back in 2016 and when the search was done they were tablets he hadn’t taken,” she said.

Sgt Mahon, however, contended the prescription date in question had lapsed when Mr McDonagh was stopped by gardaí.

“Judge, he accepts he had the tablets but he is saying as a matter of defence they were tablets prescribed to him by his doctor and that’s clear,” she said.

Judge Owens signed off on the case by stopping short of issuing a criminal conviction by instead giving Mr McDonagh the benefit of Section 1 (2) of the Probation Act.