Courts / Sligo / Report
Growhouse 'manager' fails in bid to have 4-year jail term reduced
Summary
A 44-year-old Lithuanian man has failed in his appeal against a four-year custodial sentence imposed for managing a cannabis cultivation operation in Ballymote, County Sligo. Danius Gastilavicius pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis plants at the premises on 26 March 2020 and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment with the final year suspended by Judge Francis Comerford at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court in December 2020. Gastilavicius argued the sentence was disproportionate compared to that of his teenage co-accused, who received three years with the last 20 months suspended. His counsel submitted both men were apprehended at the scene and noted fewer than 20 plants were recovered. The Director of Public Prosecutions contended the appellant held a managerial position and had significant previous convictions, distinguishing his culpability from his younger co-accused. The Court of Appeal dismissed the application, finding Judge Comerford had properly assessed each offender's respective roles.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Growhouse 'manager' fails in bid to have 4-year jail term reduced. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- March 26, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2022-02-11 Publication
Why: We simply don't know his level, because he didn't give an account to gardai. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Outcome: Danius Gastilavicius (44), of no fixed abode, was jailed for five years, with the last year suspended, after pleading guilty to cultivating cannabis plants, at an address in Ballymote, Co Sligo, on March 26, 2020. His teenage co-accused, described in court as the "gardener" and who was working at the grow-house to pay off a debt in his native Lithuania, was jailed for three years with the last 20 months suspended by Judge Francis Comerford at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court in December 2020.
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