Judge tells Cork man to find work to help beat cannabis dependency

A Cork man who admitted to the possession of cannabis at his residence in West Cork has been told by a district court judge to make efforts to find work to help him overcome his cannabis dependency.

Court presenter Sergeant Tom Mulcahy told Bantry District Court that gardaí obtained a warrant to search the residence of Paul O’Mahony, aged 54, at Collins Apartments, Main St, Drimoleague.

The search was carried out on April 17, 2024, where an amount of cannabis was found on a coffee table valued at €20.

Mr O’Mahony admitted possession of the drugs for his own use.

The court heard that Mr O’Mahony had five previous convictions that were all drug-related.

Defence solicitor Flor McCarthy said that his client had been living in Bandon but had moved to Drimoleague in the past year.

The court heard that Mr O’Mahony had addiction issues and had been smoking cannabis since he was 18.

He said that as he did not drive, his employment options in Drimoleague were limited.

Judge Joanne Carroll said that Mr O’Mahony should look for some form of work.

She said: “Work isn’t going to walk into you, you have to go out and find it.”

Mr O’Mahony was placed on a probation bond for one year on condition that he cooperates with the Probation Service, attends all appointments, attends drug addiction treatment, avails of training or engages in employment, and that he carries out 15 hours of voluntary work.

The case was adjourned until October 23 to confirm that the voluntary work has been carried out.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.