Suspended sentences for woman caught with drugs

On two occasions a 22-year-old woman was caught with herbal cannabis in Craigavon Area Hospital, the local magistrates' court last Friday.

Rebecca Conlon, Drumsill Park, Armagh, admitted unlawful possession of the class B drug on November 24, 2015, and May 11, 2016.

For the first offence she was sentenced to three months in prison and given a concurrent two month term for the second offence.

The sentences were suspended for 12 months.

The court heard that on May 11 last year police were called to the hospital where a patient, the defendant, had cannabis on her person.

She had a small bag with a green substance in it and she confirmed it was herbal cannabis.

On November 4, 2105, Conlon was a patient in the Bluestone unit at the hospital and was found in possession of herbal cannabis.

A solicitor representing the defendant said she was currently the subject of a probation order and was engaging with mental health services.

District Judge Peter King said Conlon had six previous convictions for possession of a class B drug, save for one in 2014 which was for class A.

He added that she had one year to run on a probation order but these offences crossed the custody threshold.

Related topics: