'Debt is not an excuse for selling drugs' says Kilkenny Court Judge

A young mother who had planned to sell bags of cannabis and cocaine because she was in debt was told that didn’t lessen the offence.

At Kilkenny District Court, Demi Donovan, 32 Togher Way, Urlingford, pleaded guilty to two charges of drugs possession and two charges of having drugs for sale or supply.

On July 20, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Ms Donovan’s home.
She handed over a small case to gardaí. It contained 18 bags of cannabis and seven bags of cocaine. She admitted it was hers and it was her intention to sell the drugs.
The approximate value of the drugs was €2,000.

Solicitor Chris Hogan asked the court to give his client credit for cooperating with gardaí. At her house she immediately handed over a ‘lunch box’ that contained the drugs. She attended the garda station and made a full admission.

Ms Donovan was a single mother and under financial pressure at the time. She uses cannabis and got herself into debt over that.
The solicitor said ‘some pressure’ was put on his client because of that and she made the ‘catastrophic decision’ to sell the drugs.

Since then, Ms Donovan has gone back to college and works as a carer. Mr Hogan said she was looking for an opportunity from the court because a conviction would affect her, going forward, in her chosen career.

Judge Geraldine Carthy said she would take into account the guilty plea and mitigation offered. However, she also had to take into consideration the effect of this offending behaviour on society. While the judge said she would take into account that Ms Donovan was in debt it did not discount her offending behaviour.

Ms Donovan was convicted on one count of sale and supply and a sentenced to nine months imprisonment. Other charges were taken into consideration.
Judge Carthy said she would not consider suspending the sentence.