Courts / Louth / Report
Suspended sentence for €900k drug haul too lenient, Court of Appeal finds
Summary
A man from Ballyshannon, County Donegal, will face arrest if he fails to attend the Court of Appeal this week following the quashing of his suspended sentence for drug trafficking. Ciaran Lawn, aged 43, of Derrykillew, had received a three-year wholly suspended sentence from Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court in July 2021 after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance for sale or supply. He was apprehended on 15 December 2019 near Ardee, County Louth, while transporting approximately €840,000 worth of cannabis and €59,000 of cocaine. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the sentence as unduly lenient. A three-judge panel, led by Court President Mr Justice George Birmingham, agreed and quashed the original sentence. The court found that wholly suspended terms require exceptional circumstances, which were absent in this case. A bench warrant has been issued for Lawn's arrest should he fail to attend court for re-sentencing.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for €900k drug haul too lenient, Court of Appeal finds. Charges or matters: possession of a controlled substance for sale of supply contrary to Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 on December 15, 2019 at Drumgoolestown, near Ardee, Co Louth. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- December 15, 2019 Incident
- 2022-03-21 Publication
Why: Quashing Lawn's original sentence, Mr Justice Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, said the wholly suspended term had been unduly lenient and because Lawn was not in court to be re-sentenced a bench warrant was being issued for his arrest. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: possession of a controlled substance for sale of supply contrary to Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 on December 15, 2019 at Drumgoolestown, near Ardee, Co Louth (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Moments earlier, the three-judge court had quashed the three-year wholly suspended sentence Lawn had received from Judge Mary O'Malley-Costello at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court in July last year. Quashing Lawn's original sentence, Mr Justice Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, said the wholly suspended term had been unduly lenient and because Lawn was not in court to be re-sentenced a bench warrant was being issued for his arrest.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Dundalk
- Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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