Courts / Dublin / Report
Widow pressured into holding cocaine, court hears
Summary
After her long‑term partner, the father of her four children, died, Elizabeth Grey was told she had to pay off his €5,000 drug debt. She agreed to keep a portable safe in her home, which was later found to contain almost €20,000 worth of cocaine. When the Gardaí raided her house in 2020, Grey, aged 34, admitted she knew the safe held drugs but claimed she was not stupid and had a good idea of its contents. She pleaded guilty to one count of possessing cocaine for sale or supply. Judge Melanie Greally, recognising the pressure Grey faced and her role as sole caregiver to children aged two to eight, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year custodial sentence, which she suspended in full on a number of conditions. Grey has since begun part‑time work as a cleaner and has not been in contact with the Gardaí again.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Widow pressured into holding cocaine, court hears. Charges or matters: one count of possessing cocaine for sale or supply at her home in Pearse House, Hanover Street East, Dublin on August 20, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- August 20, 2020 Incident
- 2021-12-14 Publication
Why: Handing down sentence, Judge Melanie Greally accepted that Grey had been put under pressure to mind the safe in order to pay off her late partner's drug debt. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of possessing cocaine for sale or supply at her home in Pearse House, Hanover Street East, Dublin on August 20, 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Handing down sentence, Judge Melanie Greally accepted that Grey had been put under pressure to mind the safe in order to pay off her late partner's drug debt. "The court is of the view that in the very particular circumstances in which Ms Grey found herself when she committed this offence, coupled with the fact she is the sole surviving parents to four young children, a custodial sentence would not be appropriate in this case," the judge said. Judge Greally handed down a two-and-a-half year sentence, which she suspended in full on a number of conditions.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Pearse House
- Hanover Street
Topics
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