A man who had stashed over €17,000 worth of cannabis in a washing machine at his flat has received a suspended sentence after a court heard his childhood was exceptionally traumatic.
Cameron Malcomson (21), of no fixed abode but formerly of Seagull House, Rutland Avenue, Crumlin, Dublin had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for supply on March 28 2019 at a flat in Tallaght.
Garda James O’Meara told John Berry BL prosecuting, that during a search of the flat gardai found cannabis worth an estimated €17,332 hidden in a washing machine. Malcomson was present and told gardaí he was holding them for someone else.
The court heard that he wouldn’t disclose who he was holding the drugs for because he was in fear for his life.
Garda O’Meara told Stephen Montgomery BL, defending, that Montgomery had no previous convictions at the time.
Garda Keith O’Brien told the court that Malcomson had since chalked up three convictions for possession of drugs and knives on September 26th 2019.
The court heard that the defendant had been raised in Northern Ireland by his mother who had an addiction to alcohol. His fathers died by suicide when Malcomson was just eleven years old.
Judge Pauline Codd described the trauma in his childhood as “exceptional”. She said she was taking this, as well as his young age and his early pleas of guilty, into consideration when sentencing him.
Judge Codd said she was willing to give Malcomson a chance to make the necessary changes.
She told Malcomson “I’m not giving you a get out of jail card” and suspended a sentence of four and a half years under strict conditions which he must comply with.
This sentence includes a three year sentence for the drugs offence and a term of 18 months for an attempted car-jacking in the city on October 27, 2019. Malcomson was out on bail for the earlier offence when he carried out this attack.
He pleaded guilty to attempted unlawful seizure by force of a vehicle belonging to Paula Lee at Rutland Ave., Crumlin, Dublin on October 27 2019.
The court heard that Ms Lee was driving around the Dolphins barn area when a young man came up to her car and started banging on the car window and screaming, “get out of the car”.
She reacted by beeping the horn and some members of the fire brigade ran out of a nearby fire station. They came to her assistance and restrained Malcomson.
The attempted hijack took place in less than ten minutes, with firemen trying to calm the accused down as he appeared to be heavily intoxicated at the time and was behaving erratically.
Malcomson, who is unable to drive, had been drinking whiskey and vodka as well as taking Zimovane sleeping tablets in the twenty-four hours leading up to the incident.
Judge Codd said the driver had not provided a victim impact report and while it must have been disturbing, no one had been injured. She commended the members of the fire brigade who had come to help.