Courts / Dublin / Report
Vulnerable mother forced to hold drugs was "prisoner in her own flat"
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Garda Patrick McAvinue described Anne Marie Donovan, aged 40, as the most vulnerable person he had encountered in his decade in the drug unit. Donovan was found with €25,000 of heroin and €5,000 of cocaine in her flat, which had been raided nearly two years earlier. She cooperated with officers, pointing out the drugs, and admitted she had little or no choice but to hold them. McAvinue testified that Donovan had been threatened with violence, had been stabbed in the head, and her son was thrown down the stairs, leading her to feel a "prisoner in her own flat." Donovan pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply on 3 September 2016, had no prior convictions, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, which Judge Martin Nolan suspended in full, noting her culpability was very low. The court accepted McAvinue's evidence and did not hear further mitigation.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Vulnerable mother forced to hold drugs was "prisoner in her own flat". Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 3, 2016 Incident
- 2018-04-17 Publication
Places mentioned
Topics
Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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