Cork mother says possession of magic mushrooms a ‘silly mistake’

A woman who admitted possession of psilocybin mushrooms, more commonly known as magic mushrooms, made a “silly mistake” and has not used any drugs since, the district court was told.

Outlining the facts of the case, Sergeant Tom Mulcahy said a search warrant was obtained to search a property at Fairfield Terrace, Clonakilty, and the search was carried out at 9.20pm on November 15, 2024. 

The court was told that an amount of cannabis and some magic mushrooms were recovered during the search. Leanne Keary, aged 30, of Fairfield Terrace, Clonakilty, took responsibly for the magic mushrooms valued at €20, and admitted they were for her own personal use.

Barrister Patrick Horgan said Ms Keary made full admissions to gardaí, adding that the amount of mushrooms found was “very small”. He said his client was expecting her second child in January and had a three-year-old.

The court was told Keary had been working in administration until recently and was not an addict. Keary said she made a silly mistake and had not used any drugs since 2024. Mr Horgan said the prosecution was “a wake-up call”.

Judge Joanne Carroll said gardaí must have had suspicions if a search warrant was sought. She said that given the circumstances, she would strike out the matter if Keary made a €100 donation to the court poor box.

• This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme