Keith Jervis and Therese Doyle win sentence appeal on cannabis charge

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Keith Jervis and Therese Doyle succeeded in a sentence appeal before the Court of Criminal Appeal on 25 March 2014. They had pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis for supply, contrary to sections 15A and 27 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.

Judge Nolan had imposed seven years’ imprisonment on each at the Central Criminal Court on 17 October 2011, suspended in full on €50 bonds for good behaviour. The appeal court held the sentences unduly lenient because they lacked meaningful conditions, quashed them and imposed new sentences in lieu. The cannabis had been stored at the respondents’ home after they said they were shocked by the quantity delivered, feared those involved and had no option but to accept it; Garda evidence put its value at between €320,000 and €550,000.

The proceedings were reported on 25 March 2014.