Courts / Dublin / Report

Judge finds it would be "unjust" to jail autistic man caught with €600k in drugs

Summary

An autistic man, Alyn Maginn, 41, was caught with over €600,000 of heroin and cocaine in a car park at Dublin Airport. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession. The drugs were found in a Seat Ibiza after customs profiling. Maginn had not imported the drugs; they had been in the car already. The drugs were owned by a co‑accused, Martin Gilroy, who had previously been jailed for seven years. Maginn had no prior convictions and cooperated with Gardaí. A psychological report showed Maginn had borderline cognitive ability, was on the autism spectrum, and was easily led. Judge Martin Nolan, citing Maginn's psychological make‑up and low moral culpability, imposed a suspended five‑year sentence, stating it would be unjust to jail him for this crime.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Judge finds it would be "unjust" to jail autistic man caught with €600k in drugs. Charges or matters: one count of possessing heroin and cocaine at Dublin Airport on July 7, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 7, 2017 Incident
• 2018-02-23 Publication

Why: " "Because of his particular psychological make-up, it would be unjust to jail him for this particular crime. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report