Cannabis plants found in pots on window sills of Limerick home

A WOMAN will be sentenced in the summer after she admitted growing cannabis plants in pots on the window sills of her rural home in County Limerick.

Mary Hanley, aged 53, who has an address at Ballinacaheragh, Askeaton pleaded guilty at Newcastle West Court, to cultivating more than two dozen plants which, according to gardai, had a potential street value of €20,000.

Inspector Sandra Heelan told Judge Carol Anne Coolican the defendant’s home was searched on July 1, 2020 after a small amount of cannabis was discovered in Ms Hanley’s car when she was stopped at a routine garda checkpoint.

“She said it (the cannabis) was home-grown,” the inspector explained.

She added that when gardai arrived at the defendant’s home, having being granted a search warrant, they found 25 cannabis plants in pots on the window sills.

Solicitor Michael O’Donnell said the plants were “not at a mature stage” of growth and he asked the court to note the value is based on the potential yield and not the value on the day they were found.

“They were at an early stage of growth,” confirmed Insp Heelan who agreed the valuation put forward was based on the maximum potential yield had the plants been “left to grow”.

Mr O’Donnell further submitted that it was not being suggested that his client was operating a sophisticated grow house.

He said there was no paraphernalia such as heaters of lights or watering systems and that Ms Hanley would have needed “a lot of sunlight coming in the window” for the plants to have grown.

The solicitor said his client, who suffers from depression and stress, has completed a number of courses since the detection and he informed the court that her partner also suffers from poor health.

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Noting Ms Hanley’s guilty plea, her cooperation with gardai, and the nature of the find, Judge Coolican said she was willing to accept jurisdiction of the case.

“If they (the plants) were fully grown and half the number, I would not be accepting jurisdiction,” she commented.

Given the circumstances of the case and accepting that Ms Hanley has never been on the garda radar in the past, the judge adjourned sentencing to June, to facilitate the preparation of a probation report.