By Ursula Duddy
A 26-year-old Derry man, who allegedly became a heroin addict following his introduction to the drug in prison, was found to be carrying heroin in Altnagelvin Hospital while being treated for an overdose.
Christopher O’Reilly of Bloomfield Park appeared before Derry Magistrates Court charged with possession of a Class A on February 22, 2018.
The court heard that after 4pm police were sent to Altnagelvin Hospital in relation to a man having taken a heroin overdose. Staff at the A&E Department believed he had further drugs on his person.
The police arrived and spoke to O’Reilly and carried out a search on him. They found five rolled up pieces of paper containing a brown substance. He was then arrested for possession of class A and was admitted to Gransha for a number of days.
When O’Reilly was released he was interviewed by police and admitted the drugs were heroin and that he bought ten bags for £100 on a Monday.
Seamus Quigley, defence solicitor, said that O’Reilly had ‘first been introduced to this drug in prison’. He added: “I can see the attraction of this drug in terms of prison; because of its volume and size, it’s easy to smuggle and doesn’t have the smell that a drug like cannabis might have.”
Mr Quigley said that O’Reilly spent time in prison in 2015 for crimes of a violent nature and developed an addiction that ‘almost killed him on at least one occasion when he overdosed in February this year’.
Mr Quigley said that O’Reilly went to live in Mount Vernon in Belfast to get out of Derry and away from his drug contacts.
He added: “I made the obvious point, with no disrespect to Mount Vernon, that drugs would be available more so there than in Derry but he very much kept his head down and was almost housebound and did anything but announce the fact that he was a Derry man living in that part of the world.”
Mr Quigley said O’Reilly had made contact with a GP and now on extensive medication, had started a drugs outreach programme and had been referred to a community addiction team.
He said: “I’m asking you to judge the book by its cover; I’ve always found it’s very obvious when someone is addicted to heroin – it’s the skin, lack of personal hygiene and the inability to think rationally – I’m not saying he is the picture of health but he’s not a practising heroin addict.
“I think he has taken the first baby steps towards dealing with this addiction.”
District Judge Barney McElholm said that he would defer sentencing O’Reilly until November 23.
Judge McElholm addressed O’Reilly, saying: “If no further offences take place there will be a fine, if you do commit further offences, you are looking at the possibility of prison.”
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