Portadown man and his girlfriend ran out the back of a Lurgan house during a PSNI drugs raid, Craigavon court hears
A 27-year-old man and his girlfriend were caught by the police after they ran out the back door of a house during a drugs raid.
Lawrence Francis McVeigh, from Woodside Gardens, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court via video video link from Maghaberry Prison.
-
-
He faced charges including possession of a Class A controlled drug, a Class B controlled drug, a Class C controlled drug and breaching a restraining order.
The charges related to the discovery of cocaine, cannabis and pregablin at a house in Lurgan on January 2 this year.
McVeigh’s barrister Mr Damien Halleron said his client pleaded guilty to all charges.
The court heard that on January 2 this year, at around 3.30pm, police attended a property in Lurgan in order to conduct a search.
"Although there were signs of life inside no one came to the door and police subsequently forced entry. While police were forcing entry, the defendant and the applicant of an active Restraining Order made off via the back door of the property,” a prosecutor told the court.
"Both were located and returned to the address,” she said, adding that McVeigh told police he owned the drugs in the kitchen.
Police found 0.5 grams of cocaine, 3 grams of cannabis and 12 pregablin tablets. McVeigh was arrested. During interview the defendant conceded he was in a relationship with the woman despite an active Restraining Order.
McVeigh said the drugs were for his personal use and knew they were controlled drugs.
District Judge Michael McVeigh asked if contact with the alleged complainant in the Restraining Order was consensual, the prosecutor said it was.
Mr Halleron said: “There is no suggestion of domestic violence here. This was a planned drug search. Drugs were found. He has made admissions in relation to that.”
He explained McVeigh and the woman have been in a relationship. She telephoned McVeigh’s solicitor to try and have the Restraining Order, which was expected to be in place for five years, discharged.
Mr Halleron said it was a matter for the court if the ‘Domestic Violence Aggravator’ was relevant given the circumstances.
"He has taken a pragmatic view,” said Mr Halleron. “He has only served a week in custody,” said the barrister adding that any other breaches of Restraining Orders are allied with other offences which are not relevant here.”
Asking the district judge to take a ‘lenient’ approach, Mr Halleron said his client has ‘nowhere else to go’ and no other bail address.
He added McVeigh and the woman are going to ‘continue that relationship’ and have been advised on taking the appropriate steps in relation to the Restraining Order.
District Judge Ranaghan said, in relation to the breach of the Restraining Order, he said he wouldn’t attach the Domestic Violence Aggravator and therefore wouldn’t make an additional sentence.
He pointed out that McVeigh received a five-month jail term for the last breach of a Restraining Order in October 2023 and four months in December 2023.
District Judge Ranaghan sentenced McVeigh to four months in prison on the Restraining Order charge and three months for each of the drug offences, all to run concurrently, making a total sentence of four months in jail. He was also ordered to pay the £25 offender levy.