Enniskillen Court House, RMGFH04
AN ENNISKILLEN father hid hundreds of pounds worth of cannabis in his floor boards so his children wouldn’t find it, a court has heard.
Ryan Breen (28) of Foxhill Close pleaded guilty to possession of the class B drug at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday. Police had searched his home on Saturday, June 25 while Breen was not home.
During the search the police sniffer dog detected the presence of drugs at the top of the stairs of the home, and the officers discovered a new screw in the floor boards. When they lifted the floor boards they found a white bag containing a herbal substance, now known to be 250g of cannabis worth £250.
In interview Breen said he had placed the cannabis there to hide it from his children. He said it was for his own personal use, and explained he used scales that were also found in his home for the purpose of weighing the cannabis when he bought it.
Defence solicitor Michael Fahey said Breen was a father-of-two who had gained employment as a plasterer, and was suitable for community service. District Judge Nigel Broderick said it seemed “excessive” for Breen to hide the cannabis in his floor boards.
Judge Broderick said he didn’t believe Breen’s account of attempting to hide the drugs from his children, and told the defendant he was “getting very close to a custodial sentence” if not for the fact he was working and had two young children. He sentenced Breen to 180 hours community service and warned him if he reoffended he would be going to prison.
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