Stephen Murphy jailed for four-and-a-half years over drugs offence

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

Stephen Murphy was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 10 March 2017 for possession of drugs for sale or supply. The offence occurred on North Road, Finglas, on 13 May 2015.

Murphy pleaded guilty. The proceedings were reported on 10 March 2017. Judge Melanie Greally said his previous good character, guilty plea, remorse, limited role and “respectable” background allowed her to depart from the ten-year mandatory minimum sentence.

The court heard that ketamine, ecstasy tablets and cannabis were found in the boot of his taxi following a Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau surveillance operation. The drugs had a total value of €273,859. Murphy told gardaí he collected them after a caller asked whether he was interested in picking up some “car parts.”

Defence counsel Roisin Lacey SC said Murphy began taking cocaine after a passenger offered it to him and subsequently became addicted. She said he accumulated a €1,600 drug debt and committed the offence to repay it. She described his previous life as blameless and said he had an excellent work history.

Gail O'Rorke, who was acquitted in 2015 of attempting to assist in her friend’s suicide, had previously supported Murphy in court. In a letter, she and her husband Barry told Judge Greally that Murphy had “lost so much of his life” because of the offence.