Cocaine addict ‘feels safer in prison’ due to drug debt

Anthony Barrett (20), 17 Fana Glas, Ballybane, became a driver and lookout for others involved in the theft of power tools from around the country, after running up the debt while feeding his cocaine habit.

Barrett pleaded guilty before a special sitting of Galway District Court to charges of handling the tools, knowing they were stolen, in the carpark of Peggy’s Bar, Corrandulla on March 20 last year.

Inspector John Maloney told the court Garda Barry Nugent and other Gardai kept a car containing the stolen power tools under surveillance and arrested Barrett after he got into the car and started the engine.  He admitted during interview he had been involved in the theft of the tools from various locations in the Midlands.

He told Gardai his role was to drive the car and act as a lookout for others.

All of the items were returned to their rightful owners thanks to Barrett’s co-operation with the Garda investigation.

Barrett also pleaded guilty to a plethora of charges relating to the theft of the tools and cash, causing criminal damage and interfering with cars at various locations near Shannon Bridge and Banagher in Co Offaly on the same date last March, which had occurred prior to the Galway handling charges.

He made full admissions to Gardai about his involvement in those offences and the court heard that without those admissions it would have been difficult for Gardai in Offaly to prosecute him.

Separately, Barrett pleaded guilty to driving without insurance in Galway on March 17 last year and again on February 26 last.

Inspector Maloney confirmed Barrett had 23 previous convictions, including several for driving without insurance, thefts, causing criminal damage, and dangerous driving.

Defence solicitor, Sean Acton, said his client had been held on remand at Castlerea Prison on a series of unrelated dangerous driving charges and he felt safer there.

“He was the driver and lookout.  He was under enormous pressure arising from his drug addiction which began in November 2017, when he started using cocaine . . . which left him with a €36,000 drug debt and because of that he got embroiled in these crimes,” Mr Acton explained.

He said Barrett was only 20 years old and was unable to deal with his addictions alone.

“He is now 18 months into his addictions and he told me he has since gone onto heroin. His life is completely out of control.

“His situation ‘on the outside’ is, perhaps, a little bit more dangerous than where he is now,” Mr Acton said.

Judge John King noted Barrett was a serial offender who repeatedly drove without insurance.

He imposed two, three-month consecutive sentences for driving without insurance on two separate dates and disqualified him from driving for four years.

He imposed a further consecutive six-month prison sentence for Garda Nugent’s charges relating to the handling of the stolen power tools.

The judge also noted that the Offaly charges could not have been brought without Barrett’s admissions and for that reason he imposed a further six-month sentence, which he suspended for two years on condition Barrett come under the supervision of the probation service on his release for 12 months.