logo
Mum-of-four who ‘lived in fear' after being pressured by gangs to hold drugs in home now a ‘born again Christian'

Mum-of-four who ‘lived in fear' after being pressured by gangs to hold drugs in home now a ‘born again Christian'

Lisa Lyons, of Mac Uilliam Grove, Tallaght, Dublin 24, appeared before Judge Michael Connellan at Tallaght District Court on Friday, May 2, in relation to a search carried out at her home by Garda Nicky Cleere on November 15, 2021.
During the search, gardaí discovered a handbag hidden inside a larger bag. The court heard that inside were nine individual bags of cannabis weighing 29g, along with €508 in cash.
The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to the possession of cannabis for sale or supply, contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and unlawful possession under Section 3 of the same Act.
The court heard Lyons has six previous convictions, all road traffic offences, but has no history of drug offending.
She was represented by Ethan Foley BL, who said his client had been placed under significant pressure by certain groups to hold the drugs and had been living in fear. 'There's no sign of any wealth in her home,' he told the court, adding that Lyons had no previous involvement in drugs and had cooperated fully with gardaí.
'Is it fair to say this is a once-off?' Judge Connellan asked. Mr Foley agreed, citing Lyons' relatively clean record, difficult personal circumstances and the fact that she had been living in fear at the time.
The court was told Lyons is a full-time mother and that one of her children has special needs, while she also volunteers with the DSPCA.
She told Judge Connellan that she had been struggling with anxiety at the time of the offence, but that she is now doing much better. 'I'm a born-again Christian,' she said.
Mr Foley asked the court to be as lenient as possible, before Judge Connellan imposed a fine of €600 with seven months to pay.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dutch national accused of stabbing in West Cork refused bail
Dutch national accused of stabbing in West Cork refused bail

Irish Examiner

timean hour ago

  • Irish Examiner

Dutch national accused of stabbing in West Cork refused bail

A Dutch national who is charged with two offences in relation to an alleged stabbing in Clonakilty, West Cork, has been refused bail in the district court. Bas Mulders, aged 54, with an address at Western Road, Clonakilty, Co Cork, appeared before Judge Joanne Carroll at Bantry District Court. The court heard that Mulders was charged with assault causing harm and producing an article in the course of a dispute. Detective Garda Peter Nolan said that gardaí were objecting to Mulders being granted bail based on the O'Callaghan rules and Section 2 of the Bail Act 1997. Det Gda Nolan said gardaí had serious concerns that Mulders could coerce or intimidate a witness and/or the alleged injured party and there was also a risk he could flee the jurisdiction. The court heard that Mulders was accused of stabbing another man with a knife during an argument at a location in Clonakilty in the early hours of Tuesday, July 22. The court heard that a witness had also given a statement in relation to the alleged assault and that Mulders denied the charges. The court was told that the alleged injured party was in a stable condition in Cork University Hospital. Det Gda Nolan said that the alleged injured party lived near Mulders and that the accused had family in the Netherlands but no immediate family in Ireland. The court heard that Mulders had lived in Ireland for 22 years but did not own property and was not in employment with his principal income coming from disability allowance. Defence solicitor Flor Murphy appealed to the court to consider granting bail with conditions. He said that his client's only previous conviction was road traffic related and he had no record for violent behaviour of any kind. He said that Mulders had been living in Ireland for many years and denied the charges. Judge Carroll refused bail based on the garda objections stating there was 'a real risk' Mulders could interfere with the witness or injured party. She remanded the accused in custody to appear again at Bandon District Court on July 28 and granted legal aid to Mr Mulders. This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme

One Day in Southport: Heartbreaking, and a chilling insight into the new reality
One Day in Southport: Heartbreaking, and a chilling insight into the new reality

Irish Times

time14 hours ago

  • Irish Times

One Day in Southport: Heartbreaking, and a chilling insight into the new reality

Watching the 2024 Southport riots from across the Irish Sea, there was an obvious and awful sense of history repeating. Just as the stabbing of a child in Dublin in November 2023 triggered racist violence, so the fatal attack on a dance class near Liverpool was seized upon as an excuse for carnage in the UK. Children had died, cities were burning – and British politicians appeared dazed by the scale of what had happened. Twelve months later, Finding Neverland director Dan Reed has painstakingly chronicled these terrible events with One Day in Southport (Channel 4, 9pm). If only a film-maker of equal stature would turn their attention to the anarchy that gripped Dublin seven months previously. Alas, we wait in vain. He begins with a close-up on one of the survivors of the attack – a now 13-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons. 'My vision was going blurry and I ran across to this guy and I said to him: 'I've been stabbed, I think I'm dying,' she recalls of the brutal assault by Axel Rudakubana on the Hart Space, a community hub in Southport, a quiet seaside town 27km north of Merseyside. READ MORE 'I was struggling to breathe, and I saw my sister there and she was saying, 'Please don't die, please don't die'.' Her voice is heavy with trauma, and the viewer's heart will break for her and for the families of the three children who died: six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar, aged nine. What happened next was, of course, shocking but not surprising. Racists, thugs and 'citizen journalists' descended on Southport and whipped up hysteria against a local mosque. With police on the ground seemingly in the dark about Rudakubana, rumours that he was a Muslim immigrant began to spread. He was, in fact, born in Cardiff to a family from Rwanda, which is overwhelmingly Christian. Yet that was of little comfort to the terrified people inside the mosque in Southport. Reed isn't interested in blaming people and wisely avoids portraying Rudakubana as some sort of interesting or complicated villain ( he is now serving a 52-year murder sentence ). He wants to give a voice to the victims of the attack and to understand the anger that turned town centres across Britain into war zones. Those on the hard right tell Reed that their protests are not about race but about working-class people. 'The issue we are now fighting has changed. It ain't about race no more, it is about class,' claims Wendell Daniel, the black videographer who works with Tommy Robinson , one of Britain's most prominent far-right activists. However, chilling footage from around Britain suggests that the 2024 protests quickly descended into mob rule, as we see when another panicking videographer rushes back to his car after thugs surround his Asian wife. No Irish person needs to be reminded about racism in British society. Nonetheless, something has shifted since the pandemic, says Weyman Bennett, co-convener of Stand Up to Racism. Right-wing marches used to attract a certain type, he says – 'Billy No-Mates', middle-aged men, without friends or a purpose in life. Now, they are increasingly joined by women and young people, says Bennett – an entire swathe of society that feels abandoned, and believes people such as Robinson may have the answer. It's a terrifying thought. But then, as anyone who saw Dublin burn in November 2023 will know, it isn't really a thought at all, it's the new reality with which we are all going to have to come to terms and, sooner or later, perhaps, take a stand against.

Wicklow woman (22) banned from keeping animals for 30 years
Wicklow woman (22) banned from keeping animals for 30 years

Irish Independent

time15 hours ago

  • Irish Independent

Wicklow woman (22) banned from keeping animals for 30 years

Sarah Cullen (22) with an address at Asgard Close, Arklow, Co Wicklow, entered guilty pleas at Arklow District Court yesterday to a total of four offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including one of obstructing an authorised officer. Judge David Kennedy imposed a 30-year disqualification from keeping all animals, a nominal €500 fine, and ordered that Ms Cullen pay €2,620.35 in ISPCA costs. The court heard evidence from ISPCA chief inspector Conor Dowling yesterday, who described how he called at the defendant's home on April 9, 2024, which was in response to a report received from a concerned member of the public. Mr Dowling spoke with Ms Cullen, who brought two dogs to the front door: a back and white Collie named Sky and a six-month-old Golden Retriever pup named Romeo. Inspector Dowling said he could immediately see that both dogs were in poor condition and told how he picked up the Collie and was alarmed at how light she was. He said he could feel every bone in her body and described her as "a bag of bones". The inspector made the decision that he was going to bring both dogs for veterinary assessment and would seize them if necessary. While he loaded the Collie into his vehicle, the accused brought the Retriever pup into the house and would not permit the inspector access to it. The court heard that Mr Dowling advised the defendant that he would seek a search warrant to gain access to the dog if necessary. He said she seemed more concerned about who had made the report and said that she wanted to make a complaint about the officer. Mr Dowling told how he gave the accused a business card and advised how she could go about making a complaint, adding that, as he left the property, Ms Cullen said: 'I'll have your job you f***ing c***'. ADVERTISEMENT Collie Sky was taken to a local vet, where she was found to weigh just 7.5kg, but veterinary records showed that she had been presented for vaccination two years prior, at which time she was almost double that weight, at 14.8kg. The vet assigned her a body condition score of one out of five and described her as 'skin and bone'. The court heard how Inspector Dowling obtained a search warrant the following morning, on April 10, and returned to Asgard Close accompanied by gardaí. Contact was made with the defendant, and it was established that she and the Retriever pup Romeo were at her sister's home. Therefore, the officials went to that address and the second dog was seized. Inspector Dowling said that the pup's belly appeared swollen, and he formed the opinion that he had been fed a lot since the previous day. He said the pup vomited during the journey to the vets, producing a large volume of barely digested dog food. The court heard that during the veterinary examination, Romeo was found to weigh 13.5kg, while the vet records showed that he had lost 2.9kg in the previous 11 weeks despite being a growing pup. The vet noted muscle wastage on the back legs of the dog, and said that the dog should weigh over 20kg, describing him as 'skin and bone'. Mr Dowling told of how he later conducted an interview under caution with the defendant, during which she offered no real explanation for the condition of the dogs. She claimed that Sky was a picky eater and acknowledged that she had noticed they were losing weight, but claimed not to think it was as severe as it was. The court heard that both dogs increased in weight over the following three weeks without any medical treatment. Sky almost doubled in weight, increasing from 7.5kg back to her previous weight of 14.8kg, and Romeo gained 25pc of his initial weight, from 13.5kg to 18kg. Both dogs recovered fully and were later surrendered and rehomed. Under cross-examination, Inspector Dowling confirmed that, other than the poor physical condition, there were no other signs of neglect or abuse. When asked by Judge David Kennedy whether the dog's coats were dirty, suggesting that they had been living in a poor environment, the inspector told the Judge that that was not the case. In mitigation, the defendant's history of depression and anxiety disorders was highlighted, as well as her difficult upbringing. The court heard that she 'panicked' when the ISPCA inspector arrived and that she was 'sorry for her behaviour'. On passing sentence, Judge Kennedy wondered 'how it got so bad' and said that he would have thought that the defendant's family "would have been some guidance'. Mr Dowling said that the "poor physical condition of Sky in particular was really concerning". "For a dog to be half of its ideal body weight is exceptional. I'm relieved that I got there in time because I'm not sure how much longer she would have gone on for," he said. "Romeo's future development could have been severely compromised from being deprived of nutrition at such a young age. "Thankfully, due to the wonderful work of our animal care staff, both have recovered fully and are enjoying life in their new homes," he added.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store