A BALLINASCARTHY man caught with cocaine in Clonakilty has had his case dismissed under the Probation Act, provided he donates €250 to the St Vincent de Paul.
Paraic Nyhan (28) of Droumgarriffe, Ballinascarthy, Clonakilty pleaded guilty at Clonakilty District Court to the possession of cocaine.
Sgt Tom Mulcahy told the court that at 11.05pm on May 27th 2023 gardaí were on mobile patrol in Clonakilty when they observed a man acting suspiciously by Recorders Alley.
‘They approached him but he walked away but they stopped him on Pearse Street and told him they were going to carry out a search on him,’ said Sgt Mulcahy.
The defendant immediately handed over a small grey tin which contained white powder and had ‘with compliments’ written on the box.
The court heard that the defendant later made a voluntary statement to gardaí where he admitted that he had cocaine in his possession and that it was for his own personal use.
He has one previous conviction for careless driving.
Defence solicitor Conrad Murphy said his client, who works in an installation company, made immediate admissions and was co-operative with the gardaí.
He said that his client suffered significant anxiety and depression around this time.
‘He started drinking excessively and started taking cocaine. He has gone to counselling since and doesn’t take the drug anymore,’ said Mr Murphy.
Judge Philip O’Leary directed Mr Nyhan to make a donation of €250 to St Vincent de Paul and dismissed it under the Probation Act.
