Courts / Dublin / Report

Cocaine in house to 'celebrate daughter's communion'

Summary

Christopher Donoghue, 40, of Dublin 2, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply at his address on May 19, 2017. Sergeant Barry Moran stated that gardaí conducted a surveillance operation following a tip-off, securing a warrant for a raid. Donoghue cooperated with officers, volunteering that he possessed two bags of cocaine, weighing 25.199 grams with an estimated street value of €1,763. He admitted some was for sale and some was intended for his daughter's first communion. The court noted he had 12 previous convictions for drug dealing, theft, criminal damage, and public order violations, though he had not come to the attention of gardaí since 2017. Defending counsel Mark Lynam BL highlighted that Donoghue is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, currently receiving palliative care after a tumour removal in 2020 and chemotherapy. Judge Orla Crowe acknowledged the highly unusual situation, noting that but for Donoghue's health, she would have imposed a two-year and six-month custodial sentence. Considering his guilty plea and cooperation with the gardaí, Judge Crowe imposed a sentence of two years imprisonment, which was suspended entirely due to his medical condition. Donoghue thanked the judge and left the court.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Cocaine in house to 'celebrate daughter's communion'. Charges or matters: possession of cocaine with intent to supply at his address in May 19, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• May 19, 2017 Incident
• June 2020 Other
• August 2021 Other
• 2022-02-22 Publication

Why: Taking into account his guilty plea and his co-operation with the gardai, she imposed a sentence of two years imprisonment but, because of the medical situation, suspended it entirely. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Public Order Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report