Judge tells Cork man who ran away from gardaí he 'needs to take stock of his life'  

A Cork man who threw a package of cannabis into a field and then ran away has been advised to “take stock” of his life by the presiding judge.

Court presenter Inspector Roisín O’Dea told Clonakilty District Court that Bradley Williamson, 26 of Moses Road, Clonakilty was spotted by a garda patrol on Western Road, Clonakilty at 2.25pm on September 6, 2024. 

When Mr Williamson saw gardaí he threw a container he was carrying into a nearby field and ran away.

Inside the container were three 'wraps' of cannabis amounting to 10 grams of the drug with a street value of €260.

Fingerprints on the container matched those of Mr Williamson and he was arrested a short time later. 

The court was told he had 22 previous convictions including three for possession of drugs.

Defence solicitor Colette McCarthy said her client took full responsibility and was using cannabis at the time of the incident. She said he was now “into fitness” and had cut down his cannabis use considerably. 

She added that he was a carer for his father and also looked after horses on a part-time basis.

Judge Joanne Carroll said: “I’m only here since May and this is the second time you’ve appeared before me and I wasn’t working in August! If you do the maths, it’s not good. You are supposed to stop completely. You need to take stock.”

On the Section 21 obstruction charge he was given 60 hours of community service in lieu of three months in prison. The possession charge was taken into consideration.

• This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.