Man who failed in ‘valiant’ efforts to get into treatment centre is jailed for drug offences

A drug addict who failed in his ‘valiant’ efforts to get into a treatment centre resorted to buying himself a television and becoming a virtual recluse in his hostel bedroom.

Eddie Burke, defence solicitor, said Leonard Geasley had done everything he possibly could to get on to a treatment programme and had made particular efforts to get into St Francis Farm.

However, none of his efforts proved successful and now he has been jailed for a total of nine months for a series of drug offences.

Judge Olann Kelleher noted that Geasley, 29, of St. Vincent’s hostel, Anglesea Terrace, Cork, had three previous convictions for having drugs for his own use and one for having drugs for sale or supply.

Now the same man has pleaded guilty to three counts of having cocaine for his own use, two for having heroin and one for obstruction.

“We all know the difficulties cocaine is causing in the city. It is now more prevalent than heroin apparently and causing difficulties,” Judge Kelleher said.

The judge imposed an overall sentence of nine months on Leonard Geasley at Cork District Court.

Sergeant John Kelleher said that on December 2 2020 gardaí arrested three men including Geasley at Kent railway station when they disembarked from the Dublin to Cork train.

When searched on suspicion of having drugs none was found. They were detained for a period and eventually the accused removed some packages that he had concealed internally. €222 worth of heroin was found and €25 worth of cocaine was found in total and he pleaded guilty to having those drugs for his own use.

On another occasion, the same defendant was caught with drugs which he tried to conceal down the rear of his pants at Daunt Square. Later, he was caught at Merchants Quay, Cork, with cocaine.

The obstruction charge related to July 24 2019 at Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, where he dropped a white object on the ground, picked it up and swallowed it. He pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction arising out of that incident. One of the other drugs charges related to having a drug for his own use at the Mercy University Hospital.

Mr Burke, solicitor, “There was no violence used in any of these incidents. He dropped at item, picked it up and swallowed it. He told gardaí what he had and made admissions.” 

Mr Burke described as valiant, the efforts made by Geasley to get into drug treatment.