Gifted younger jockey caught with €11,000 medication stash avoids jail

A budding younger Donegal jockey who was caught with over €11,000 price of medicine has prevented being despatched to jail.

Gardaí discovered a big cache of hashish and cocaine after they raided the house of Oran Brown.

Brown, who’s now 22, was handed a three-and-a-half-year sentence, which was suspended by Choose John Aylmer for a three-and-a-half-year interval.

Mr Peter Nolan BL, representing Brown, informed Letterkenny Circuit Courtroom his shopper was because of journey at Cheltenham this week and relies in England, the place he works for famend coach Richard Hannon. 

Detective Garda Michelle Kelly informed Ms Fiona Crawford BL, counsel for the State, {that a} search warrant was obtained, following a confidential tip-off, to hold out a search of Brown’s residence at Coolatee, Lifford on June 25, 2020.

Gardai pounced at round 12.30pm and the accused man was a entrance seat passenger in a automobile parked outdoors the property. Brown got here into the home and informed gardai that there have been managed medication inside.

Detective Garda Kelly stated officers detected a powerful scent of hashish from a room and a big amount of medicine was present in a number of places in the home.

In complete, detectives seized €8,668 price of hashish in addition to cocaine with a road worth of €2,504.81. Among the hashish was present in ‘deal luggage’. A Zopiclone pill, valued at €2, was additionally situated within the raid. The medication had a mixed complete of €11,174.81.

A grinder, weighing scales and a amount of Ziploc luggage have been additionally discovered. Portions of Diazepam and Xanax have been present in a Tommy Hilfiger bag within the property whereas Gardaí noticed a line of suspected cocaine on high of a dresser. 

A amount of cocaine was additionally discovered inside a secure which contained €7,225 and £2,480 sterling in money. Brown was searched and a cylinder containing hashish and a grinder was situated on his individual. He was subsequently arrested and brought to Letterkenny Garda Station.

Brown informed Gardaí that he was residing along with his grandparents for the reason that earlier Christmas and was working with an organization in Strabane. 

He outlined that he ‘smoked lots of weed and sniffed cocaine’.

“I received’t lie, I bought a number of luggage of weed too,” Brown informed detectives. Concerning the money, he stated he was given cash by his dad and mom and grandparents for his birthday the earlier month.

Brown refused to offer Gardaí the PIN for his cell phone as he stated there was ‘stuff on the cellphone’ that he didn’t need them to see. Detective Garda Kelly stated Gardaí have been unable to entry information from the cellphone because the PIN was not supplied.

Barrister for Brown, Mr Peter Nolan BL, stated that his shopper was accepted as an apprentice jockey however ‘weight obtained the higher of him’. 

“He and others started taking cocaine to maintain the burden stabilised,” Mr Nolan stated, including that British Horseracing now has common drug testing procedures in place.

The court docket heard that Brown works in England and was described as a ‘conditional apprentice’. Mr Nolan stated Brown is now using underneath nationwide hunt guidelines, which have a better weight restrict for jockeys. 

The barrister stated Brown had ‘nice hopes and ambitions’ to be a flat racing jockey. Having not been profitable as an apprentice, he returned to Donegal six months earlier than this offence and obtained a job as a joiner.

“He grew to become concerned in cocaine and that has introduced him to the place that he’s in,” Mr Nolan stated.

Brown, who was accompanied to court docket by his mom, had no earlier convictions and has not come to opposed consideration since. 

A probation and welfare report deemed him as a low danger of reoffending and stated the incident had introduced ‘deep regret and disgrace’.

References have been handed in on Brown’s behalf from Fr Colm O’Doherty, the Parish Priest in Lifford, and the Lifford-based Naomh Padraig GAA Membership.

Asking the court docket to be as lenient as attainable and to contemplate a non-custodial sentence, Mr Nolan stated his shopper has ‘discovered a severe lesson’.

“Stupidity led him to those circumstances,” Mr Nolan stated.

Choose John Aylmer stated the worth of the medication stash present in Brown’s dwelling was solely barely under the €13,000 threshold which carries a compulsory minimal sentence.

Choose Aylmer stated a place to begin for the possession of hashish for the aim of promoting or supplying was 5 years in jail,

“It was clear from all of the paraphernalia discovered on the premises that there was a big quantity of dealing happening,” Choose Aylmer stated. A two-year jail sentence was the start line for sentencing on the cost of the illegal possession of cocaine.

In mitigation, Choose Aylmer stated Browne is a younger man with no earlier convictions who’s ‘very positively’ engaged in horse racing. Brown confirmed Gardaí to varied places in the home the place medication have been located and adopted with an early plea of responsible. He stated Brown has now eliminated himself from ‘anti-social acquaintances’ and took observe of the references submitted on the accused’s behalf.

Choose Aylmer lowered the sentence for the possession of hashish for the aim of promoting or supplying to three-and-a-half years in jail. Everything of the sentence was suspended for three-and-a-half years on Brown coming into a bond to maintain the peace and be of excellent behaviour for that interval.

Brown was ordered to do 240 hours of group service in lieu of 16 months in jail on the cost of illegal possession of cocaine.

“That is an uncommon case the place he deserves a second likelihood,” Choose Aylmer stated. “It’s with some hesitation, however it’s a case that it could be handled higher on a non-custodial foundation given all the options. “

Gifted younger jockey caught with €11,000 medication stash avoids jail was final modified: October twenty sixth, 2023 by Employees Author

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