Father giving cannabis to his son to 'keep him alive' fined at Limerick Court

A FATHER and son were both convicted of drugs offences on the same day in Limerick Court with the father saying he supplied cannabis to his son to in order to “keep him alive”.

Michael Cleary, 58, of Whitecross Gardens, Moyross, pleaded guilty to possession of nine deals of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply and was fined €300 after he pleaded guilty.

Sergeant Michelle Leahy told Limerick District Court the drugs were seized during a search of the defendant’s home on November 25, 2018.

The street value of the drugs, she said, was around €190.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan said while the offence “sounds awful out of context” her client was acting in the best interests of his son who suffers from a very serious drug addiction.

She said Mr Cleary had bought the cannabis to give to his son as he preferred to see him with a “bag of weed instead of a needle in his arm”.

She said he was fearful his son would die from an overdose and she insisted her client was not supplying drugs to anyone else and that he was not personally benefiting from having the drugs.

“It was not the correct thing to do, he knows it was illegal but he was in between a rock and a hard place,” said Ms Ryan who added her client’s actions were an attempt by him to keep his son alive.

Having considered the matter and noting the predicament which Mr Cleary found himself in, Judge Marian O’Leary fined him €300 in relation to the sale or supply charge.

Given the circumstances of the offence, the lesser charge of simple possession of the cannabis was taken into consideration.

During a separate appearance before the court on the same day, Mr Cleary’s son – Dean Cleary – pleaded guilty to charges relating to the discovery of a number of cannabis plants at his home during a garda search.

The 31-year-old, who lives with his father at Whitecross Gardens in Moyross, admitted cultivating four cannabis plants at the house.

Sgt Leahy told the court the defendant, who has a number of previous drugs offences, made admissions when questioned by gardai. However, she said plants had not bloomed and that they had a nominal street value of €10.

In the case of Dean Cleary, Ms Ryan said her client had found “a handful of seeds” in a bag of cannabis which he attempted to grow in a pot.

Seeking leniency, she said her client suffers from a serious drug addiction and that most of his previous convictions relate to that addiction.

Ms Ryan said the defendant is hoping to address his problems while in prison. Judge O’Leary imposed a €150 fine. As Dean Cleary is currently in custody for other matters, she directed the fine should be paid forthwith.