Court archive

Court reports mentioning Banbridge, Down

2018-05-18 · Armagh

Grandad jailed for agreeing to transport heroin

Sean Darragh, 49, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for possessing 263 g of heroin worth €37,366, which he had agreed to transport from Dublin to Newry to settle a drug debt of €4,000. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 19 September 2017. Darragh, a grandfather of two from Cois Locha, had 48 prior convictions, mainly for drugs and thefts in Northern Ireland. Garda Killian Leydon described how Darragh and co‑accused Josephine Hoey were caught after suspicious activity in an apartment car park; Hoey later received a four‑year suspended sentence for possession. Darragh sold his Volkswagen to pay Hoey's bail and had two dogs impounded, which she later reclaimed. Judge Martin Nolan noted Darragh's cooperation and steps taken in custody to address his drug addiction, back‑dating the sentence to his arrest date.

2018-05-03 · Down

"It's nice to be a hero for a day", judge remarks as he spares "unlucky" drugs mule from jail

Josephine Hoey, 38, of Banbridge, was given a four‑year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to possessing heroin worth over €37,000. The court found she had transported the drugs from Dublin to the North to pay off a debt of about £1,800 for her own addiction. Judge Martin Nolan described her as "unlucky" and noted the pressure she faced, including threats against her 15‑year‑old son. Defence counsel Pieter Le Vert highlighted Hoey's long‑standing vulnerability and mental‑health struggles, arguing she was not fully culpable. Gardaí had stopped two cars on the night in question, found tinfoil and a package of 260 g of heroin in Hoey's handbag, and seized a further quantity on her person. Hoey thanked the judge and pledged to work on her mental health and avoid drugs again.