Jailed for possession of cannabis in north Dublin

By Claire Henry

A young Dublin man has been jailed for fifteen months after being caught in possession of cannabis.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Josh Tierney (22) of Westbrook Avenue, Balbriggan, Dublin pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at an address in north Balbriggan on May 31, 2024 He has 18 previous convictions, all from the District Court.

Detective Garda Sean McGill told Patrick McCullagh, BL, prosecuting, that on the day in question, gardai obtained a search warrant for a house in north Balbriggan.

On entering the house, gardai heard voices and music coming from an upstairs room.

When they entered the bedroom, they found Tierney along with three others. Tierney then threw a bag out the window and lay on the bed with his knees brought into his chest.

He then kicked out at the gardai, was arrested, and was brought downstairs.

The court heard that several bags of suspected cannabis were seized from the bedroom, along with the bag thrown out the window.

The drugs were analysed and had a combined value of €17,673. Tierney took full responsibility for the drugs and said, “Every gram of cannabis was his.”

He told gardai that he had acquired a drug debt from a family relative and was selling drugs to pay the debt off.

Mr McCullagh told the court that the maximum sentence available to the court was life in prison, and there was a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison, which may be departed from when there are exceptional circumstances present.

Det Gda McGill agreed with Philipp Rahn, SC, defending that his client took full responsibility and made admissions to the garda.

He also agreed that Tierney came forward on signed pleas from the District Court.

The garda agreed that Tierney offered apologies to the gardai during his interview.

Testimonials for Tierney were handed into the court, which described him as a “valuable member of Balbriggan Football Club as both a player and a coach.”

A probation report outlined that Tierney was at moderate risk of reoffending but highlighted that he is a suitable person for probation supervision.

Mr Rahn said his client comes from a pro-social family. He said Tierney has mental health issues and has sought help.

Counsel asked the court to take into account his client’s very early guilty plea, that he made admissions and took responsibility for the drugs and that all his previous convictions are from the District Court.

Mr Rahn concluded by saying his client is a relatively young man and that this has been a huge wake-up call for him, and that he wants to turn his life around.

Passing sentence yesterday, Judge Jonathan Dumphy said, this man had acquired a drug debt from his uncle, which he was trying to clear.

He said there were elements that allowed him to depart from the mandatory minimum of a ten-year sentence.

He said this case fell into the higher end of the lower scale.

He noted the aggravating factors in this case as the seriousness of the charge, the effects that drugs have in the community, Tierney’s relevant previous convictions and that the probation services place him at a moderate risk of reoffending.

He said this case does reach the custodial sentence threshold and sentenced Tierney to two years and nine months in prison, but suspended the final eighteen months for two years.

He also placed Tierney under the supervision of the probation services for two years post-release.