Court makes no Order in Gilligan mention
The Special Criminal Court has made no order regarding an application by convicted drug dealer John Gilligan to review the transcript of the sentence hearing where a six-month sentence was imposed on him for the possession of a mobile phone in court.
In February of this year, the 59-year-old was sentenced to a further six months in prison after pleading guilty to the possession of a mobile phone at Portlaoise District Court in 2010.
He was originally sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2001 after being convicted of the importation and possession of cannabis resin, but this was reduced to 20 years on appeal.
In 2002 he was given a consecutive two-year prison sentence having been convicted of threatening to kill two prison officers, while in 2011 he was also given an eight-month prison sentence for having a mobile phone in his cell in Portlaoise prison.
A native of Ballyfermot in Dublin, Gilligan was cleared of the murder of Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin in 2001.
Counsel for Gilligan, Mr John Peart SC, had sought access to the transcript of the sentence hearing regarding the possession of a mobile phone in the District Court as his client believed it contained a discrepancy which may have lead to the tariff being inaccurately stated.
Gilligan was not in court for this morning’s brief mention.
Presiding judge Mr Justice Paul Butler this morning said that court would make no order but would clarify that the six-month sentence imposed on Gilligan for possession of a mobile phone was to run consecutively to the two-year sentence imposed on him for making threats to kill.
