Suspended sentence after man threatened two women when he was put under pressure to collect drug debts

By Sonya McLean

A young man who demanded cash from two women because he was under pressure to collect drug debts has been given a four-year suspended sentence.

Adam Schuster (21) of Weston Way, Lucan, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making an unwarranted demand for payment of money with menace in Lucan on June 9, 2020. He also admitted burglary in Lucan on September 8, 2020. He has no previous convictions.

Garda David Sheedy told Brian Storan BL, prosecuting, that the first woman contacted gardaí to say that she found Schuster in her front garden one night, just after midnight, in June 2020. She had previously had her home threatened because her son had run up a drug debt.

Schuster told the woman that her son had lost drugs when gardaí confiscated them earlier that month. He said he had been sent to get €3,500 for those drugs.

The woman said she didn’t have the money and Schuster told her that other people who had drugs confiscated by gardaí had been paying up.

Schuster told the woman he knew her son and his girlfriend and said he would be dead himself if he didn’t collect the money from her.

Gda Sheedy said the woman was concerned for herself and her home but acknowledged that she had not been threatened directly by Schuster.

Gardaí arrived a short time and Schuster was arrested on the woman’s property.

The woman was frightened this would happen again and she ended up moving home.

The woman stated in her victim impact statement that the biggest ramification was the fact that she had to move out of her home because she was afraid and this caused the break-up of the family as her son is now living with her sister.

Gda Sheedy agreed with Keith Spencer BL defending that his client was told to go and “apply pressure” on the woman as he was deep in debt himself.

His family have since helped discharge the debt Schuster was under at that time.

He accepted that it was his understanding that Schuster had given the drugs to the victim’s son but also accepted that “they could have been someone else’s drugs”.

The court heard that the following September Schuster burgled a house in Lucan while armed with a knife.

The homeowner said “a young fella with hood over his face” pushed in the door and held a knife and demanded money.

He said he wouldn’t hurt the woman if she handed over money.

The victim felt she was going to die and told Schuster she had no money.

The victim called for her daughter and Schuster then waved the knife towards both the victim and her daughter, until her daughter emptied her purse onto the hallway.

He said it was not enough and he needed “at least 100 quid”.

He left and told the victim he was not well.

Schuster was arrested by gardaí shortly afterwards following a short chase.

He admitted he had a knife with him and said he had thrown it into a nearby field.

He told gardaí he had a drug debt and was instructed to go to the house and demand money.

Mr Spencer suggested that Schuster had gone to the wrong home.

He said his client had been getting threatening phone calls himself to pay off his drugs debt.

Schuster’s mother told the court that her son was under pressure and they had got many calls to their home about his drug debt. She said her son had managed to grapple with his drug addiction and is working on getting a job.

Judge Orla Crowe imposed consecutive terms of four years, having taken into account that Schuster was on bail for the first offence when he committed the second. She suspended the four year term in full on strict conditions including that Schuster engage with the Probation Service for two years.

Judge Crowe took into account the fact that Schuster had not come to garda attention before these offences and has stayed out of trouble since.

She also noted his efforts to rehabilitate.

The judge said she was giving Schuster “the chance of a lifetime” because of the efforts he had made but said the crimes had been “an appalling start to his adult life”.

She noted that he had stared taking drugs at “an extraordinarily young age” and a letter from him outlined his regret.

Judge Crowe said she had also taken the evidence of Schuster’s mother into account and the fact that he is now considered to be at a “moderate risk of re-offending” according to an updated probation report.

Judge Crowe said the crimes were “a huge violation” of the homeowner’s safety and that their “sense of safety and comfort in their own home had been taken from them”.

She said they were extremely frightening offences, “happening late at night” but accepted that Schuster was “under extreme pressure” at the time.