Mark Kiernan (43) of Trasna Way appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a Class B drug. 

Police had carried out a search of Kiernan’s home on December 9th, during which they found digital weighing scales and two small amounts of cannabis. The first, worth around £30, was a piece of resin found on top of a barometer on Kiernan’s wall. The second was trace amounts in a bag. 

Kiernan told them the trace amounts had been for personal use, and the resin on the barometer had been an ornament. 

Defence solicitor Myles McManus said Kiernan had “held his hands up” and had been fully cooperative and helpful with police during the search. The solicitor added the amounts had been small and insignificant. 

Mr McManus noted Kiernan had previous convictions, one for a similar offence but of a much higher value of cannabis, and for which he was in breach of a suspended sentence. He asked court to give Kiernan a chance to address his addiction issues and not to activate the sentence. 

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said it would be “entirely inappropriate and disproportionate” to activate Kiernan’s suspended sentence, given the small value of the cannabis found on this occasion and the amount of time that had passed since the sentence was imposed. 

Kiernan was sentence to 18 months probation and a destruction order was made for the drugs.