A homeless drug addict who turned his life around was given the benefit of the Probation Act by Judge John Neilan at Mullingar Court last week.
Gerard Ganley, 109 Castle Park, Galway, was charged with having a controlled drug, Diamorphine, unlawfully in his possession at Portnashangan, Lough Owel, Mullingar, on September 23 2006. Mr Robert Marren, solicitor, told the court that his client spent 16 months in the Team Challenge treatment centre in Scotland. He has now become a support worker for other people affected by drugs, working for Team Challenge in Scotland.
The defendant said in evidence that he commenced the 18 month Team Challenge programme in February 2007. He finished it last April, graduating early because he progressed on the programme and dealt with a lot of issues. After his graduation, the centre manager decided that he would go to a centre in North East Scotland for two months’ staff training. Within two weeks, the manager decided to give him a job and Gerard Ganley had been working for Team Challenge since July 7 last.
He told the court that he had now been drug free for 23 months, including cigarettes and alcohol. The defendant said that he was homeless and a drug addict for a long period, and had a lot of previous convictions. It is his intention to stay in Scotland because he has full-time employment there.
