Former hurler has drug sentence halved
The Court of Criminal Appeal has reduced by half the six-year sentence imposed on a former Dublin minor hurler who admitted having €44,000 worth of cannabis resin.
Last May, Patrick Casey (aged 19), Casino Park, Marino, had pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply on August 31, 2006.
He was jailed for a total of six years at Dublin Circuit Court by Judge Katherine Delahunt. Casey appealed against the severity of that sentence.
Today, the three-judge CCA of Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman presiding with Mr Justice Kevin Feeney and Mr Justice Brian McGovern found that sentence to be unduly severe and reduced it from a total of six years to three.
Counsel for Casey had argued that the judge had erred by not taking into account circumstances, including that his client was a young man with no previous convictions who had acted naively. He had fully co-operated with the gardaí.
Giving judgment Mr Justice Hardiman said the court was satisfied that Judge Delahunt had erred by not fully taking into account all the mitigating circumstances when imposing a six-year sentence.
Last year, the Circuit Court heard that a holdall bag containing the drugs were found following a Garda search. Casey left his social security card in the bag which contained the drug.
Casey, who had no previous convictions, dumped the bag on a railway line because he did not want the drugs near his family home.
He took full responsibility for the drugs, and had co-operated with the gardaí.
The court heard that the gardaí were satisfied that Casey, who had just lost his job and was under financial pressure at the time due to payments on a bank loan, was holding the drugs for somebody else and had been promised €1,000.
Casey had played minor hurling with Dublin, and had player soccer for Shelbourne's U-16.
