Court hears of tragic case of drug addiction
Judge Eoin Garavan noted the defendant's difficult background.
A drug addict who was the “fall guy” following a €60,000 cannabis seizure has been remanded in custody in a bid to help rid her of addiction.
Bernadette Muldoon, aged 41, of St Patrick’s Estate, Ballina, previously pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for the purpose of sale or supply.
On June 7, 2024, Gardaí investigating another individual searched a house in St Patrick’s Estate, which was not Muldoon’s home.
A male suspect fled the house when Gardaí arrived but was later arrested. A female (not Muldoon) was present when officers discovered €62,000 worth of cannabis in a utility room press. This woman was also arrested.
However, later that day, Muldoon presented herself at Ballina Garda Station and stated the drugs were hers. She told officers she was using cocaine at the time and was paranoid about the Gardaí finding the drugs. She claimed she entered the other property through the back door and concealed the cannabis. She also told Gardaí she had a €3,000 drug debt and agreed to hold the drugs for someone else.
Muldoon had the windows of her home broken in days before her court appearance.
Barrister Dr Laura Byrne said her client is addicted to crack cocaine and previously had a heroin problem. The barrister said she believes Muldoon was “under a certain amount of duress” because of her addiction.
The case was adjourned until last week for a probation report.
Judge Eoin Garavan remarked that Muldoon appears “to be the fall guy in this”. The court heard she failed to fully engage with the Probation Service, mainly because of her drug use.
Dr Byrne said her client told her that if she “couldn’t give up drugs for her kids then she couldn’t give them up for court”. Muldoon has 10 previous convictions.
Judge Garavan noted the woman’s difficult background, adding that she has never known a “normal existence” and has been “brutalised by life”. The judge agreed to remand Muldoon in custody in the hope that it would help to “stabilise her life”. Final sentencing was adjourned until October 16 next.
- Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme.
