Judge expresses concern over Mayo man’s failure to deal with drug issues

A FIFTY-five-year-old father of four who was found in possession of cannabis valued at €1,800 has been told by a judge that his situation is gone beyond the custody stage as he needs to address his addiction issue by undertaking a treatment programme.

Darren Mulcahy, 51 An Sruthan, Castlebar, pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court to the possession of drugs which were found when a search was carried by gardaí out at his home. He was also charged with possession of the drugs with intent to supply.

The court was told that the defendant had a number of previous convictions in relation to the possession of drugs and to possession of drugs for supply or sale.

Inspector Shane Fitzmaurice, outlining the facts in the case, said the defendant had made attempts to address his drug problems but failed to undergo any course of rehabilitation.

In July last he had appealed a District Court conviction for the possession of cannabis to the Circuit Criminal Court where he was given a jail sentence of nine months, which had been suspended for two years.

The court was told he had a long history of cannabis use but had made attempts to address his issues, having stayed away from the use of cannabis for periods in 2021 and 2022 but later turned to drugs again.

He had been in touch with his GP and a counsellor in relation to his use of drugs which was related to mental health issues he was having on and off during his life.

However, Judge Sandra Murphy said looking at correspondence from the defendant’s GP and a probation report, it had been some months since he engaged with his doctor and his counsellor.

She said she also noted he had indicated he was going to engage with a treatment programme for his problems but that only went as far as his receiving the referral forms.

“To me it seems no progress has been made since 2025 and my concern is that this man is not willing to take that final step in dealing with his addiction issues,” said Judge Murphy.

She adjourned the case for a final decision to April 15 next when she told the defendant to have updated reports from his GP and his counsellor and to engage in a treatment programme.

* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.