A Galway District Court Judge has said she would like to set up a system which would allow some of the contributions made to the Court’s poor box go towards assisting those with addiction issues.
The proposal was made by Judge Fiona Lydon who is known to take a lenient approach towards first-time drug offenders who appear before her, but she has warned that this benevolent approach does not apply to defendants who come before her on second and subsequent drugs charges.
She made her call when dealing with a young student who admitted that cocaine to the value of €120 found by Gardaí in a search of his residence belonged to him. The Judge was told he co-operated fully with the Gardaí and had no previous convictions.
Sean Acton solr. (defending ) pleaded that his client was 22 and a second-year quantity surveying student. During Rag Week he made the foolish decision to purchase some cocaine. He was very stressed by the case and wanted the ordeal over with.
Judge Lydon told the young man that his stress wouldn’t be helped by taking drugs and ordered him to make a €300 contribution to the Court poor box in lieu of a conviction for his first offence.
It was then the Judge suggested that some of the monies contributed to the poor box system might go towards helping those with addiction issues.
This article is funded by Comisiún na Meán under its Local Democracy and Court Reporting Schemes.
