'Looks like you have turned your life around' Craigavon judge tells former Portadown drug addict who now grows mushrooms as a health supplement

William Geary, aged 25, from Parkmore, Craigavon appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

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His barrister Mr Conor Lunny said his client pleaded guilty to five counts of drug possession including possession of the Class A drug MDMA, the Class B drug cannabis, the Class B drug ketamine, the Class C drug flualprozolam and the Class C drug clonazolam on June 14, 2020.

Five charges in relation to being concerned with the supply of the Class A drug MDMA, the Class B drug cannabis, the Class B drug ketamine, the Class C drug flualprozolam and the Class C drug clonazolam were withdrawn by the Prosecution.

Mr Lunny pointed out the charges are dated five years ago and that District Judge Michael Ranaghan had dealt with Geary last month on public order offences and gave him a Combination Order “which is up and running”.

"He’s lucid. He is drug free. He presents in a far better state today than he would have,” said the barrister.

"The reason for police detecting these drugs was a call of concern – a Good Samaritan who saw Mr Geary in a bad state in Portadown. He brought him back to his house and smelled cannabis and these other materials. He was a heavy user at the time of Class A, B and C,” he said.

A Prosecutor said the case arose from a search of Geary’s property after a ‘concern for safety’ call to police.

Mr Lunny said his client doesn’t have Legal Aid as he wasn’t able to show his income. “He has a start-up business growing mushrooms. They are not hallucinogenic mushrooms. And I had to confirm that with him.”

District Judge Michael Ranaghan asked how he confirmed that, much to the amusement of the court.

Mr Lunny said he confirmed it with his client. “I wouldn’t be an expert in hallucinogenic material. Mr Geary says they are essentially a health supplement and he has interest in some of the larger supermarket brands in the UK.

"It’s a start-up company. He has no real income yet,” said the barrister who believes this case got lost in the Covid delay.

District Judge Ranaghan said: “There was a bit of flippancy in the court there. That was my doing. We are looking at something that happened five and a half years ago and for whatever reason it seems to have been caught up in the system.

"You have put your hands up today properly so I will deal with it today by way of a financial penalty across the board given that passage of time.”

For all five charges, he marked a fined of £75 for each charge plus he was ordered to pay the £15 Offender Levy.

"Mr Geary it looks like you have turned your life around,” said the District Judge who gave the defendant 20 weeks to pay the fine.