Courts / Dublin / Report

10-year jail sentence for man caught with recently criminalised drug

Date
2016-04-12

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

David Larrissey, 37, of Chapelizod, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for possessing 1.718 kg of ketamine, a drug that had only recently been criminalised. The sentence was mandatory as it was his second conviction for a similar offence. Larrissey pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 4 June 2015. He was found with the drugs in a suitcase while walking away from the site, and a subsequent search of his home uncovered a smaller quantity of ketamine, a notebook with names and numbers, and weighing scales. His co‑accused, 19‑year‑old Jordan Maher, also pleaded guilty to the same offence but had no prior convictions. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed the ten‑year term, back‑dating it to the date of the offence, and scheduled a review five years later.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 10-year jail sentence for man caught with recently criminalised drug. Charges or matters: possessing 1.718kg of ketamine at Maidens Row, Chapelizod, Dublin on June 4, 2015; the same offence. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

June 4, 2015 Incident
2016-04-12 Publication

Case subjects

David Larrissey

Accused

Charges: possessing 1.718kg of ketamine at Maidens Row, Chapelizod, Dublin on June 4, 2015; the same offence (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: As it was his second conviction for a similar drug offence, a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years had to be imposed. Judge Elma Sheahan said today in sentencing Larrissey that due to the seriousness of the offence and the quantity of the drugs involved, a ten year sentence would be appropriate in this case even if it was not mandatory.

Jordan Maher

Co Accused

Charges: the same offence (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Maher was granted bail by Judge Sarah Berkeley last month pending his sentence in October on condition he gets a full-time job, avoids adverse garda attention and liaises with the Probation and Welfare Services.