Repeat offender who threw drugs over prison walls sees sentence suspended
A repeat offender who threw drugs over Dublin prison walls, using copper pipes on one occasion, has had his one year prison term replaced with a fully suspended sentence on appeal.
Defence counsel for Daryl Boyd (28) said that he owed money for a drug debt and was under “severe pressure” to pass on the drugs after a threat to a family member.
Boyd, with an address in Ballymun, Dublin, pleaded guilty in the District Court to a number of offences between 2020 and 2022 contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
He was given three consecutive six-month sentences for the supply of controlled drugs into prisons contrary to Section 15C (1) and Section 7, with one of those six month sentences suspended. Other charges for having controlled drugs in his possession and failure to appear in court were also taken into consideration.
Boyd later lodged an appeal against the severity of his sentence.
Sergeant Shay Leonard told the District Court Appeals Court today that on May 16, 2020 at Cherry Orchard Green, Ballyfermot, copper pipes were thrown over the walls of Wheatfield Prison.
He said that the pipes were opened and a quantity of controlled drugs were found inside.
The sergeant said that on November 28, 2020 on Cherry Orchard Green, Boyd tried again to throw controlled drugs over the Wheatfield Prison wall.
Sergeant Leonard said that on September 26, 2022 on Cloverhill Road in Clondalkin, a prison guard saw items being thrown over the prison walls. The items were found to contain 700 euro worth of cannabis.
He said that Boyd had 40 previous convictions, including those for theft and public order offences.
Defence counsel for Boyd, Caroline O’Connell BL, said that there was no doubt of the harm that seeking to get drugs into prison can do and that her client’s actions were very serious.
She said that her client had previous issues with drug use but is taking positive steps to address them and that he plans to undergo residential treatment.
She said that her client owed money for a drug debt and was under “severe pressure” to pass on the drugs after a threat to a family member.
Judge Jonathan Dunphy decided to suspend Boyd’s sentence in its entirety for two years under the condition that he enter the supervision of the probation service, complete residential treatment and engage with education and training support as directed by them.