Bail breach | 

Alleged drug dealer accused of supplying ‘bad batch’ to man later found dead appears in court

Mark Hayes appeared in court today after he breached his bail

Today at 11:19

An alleged drug dealer accused of supplying a “bad batch” of pregabalin to a man who was later found dead appeared in court today after he breached his bail.

Ballymena Magistrates Court heard that despite it being the second time Mark Hayes had broken his curfew time, police had no objections to the 31-year-old being freed on bail again.

Defence counsel Michael Smyth outlined how both breaches, the latest one being on Wednesday night, arose from Hayes failing to keep his curfew as “there was a delay with his taxi.”

Hayes, from Maple Drive in Coleraine, is charged with two drug offences alleged to have been committed on 25 August this year including possessing pregabalin with intent to supply and with supplying the class C prescription only drug.

When the alleged dealer first appeared before the court, a police officer outlined how there was a “sudden death” at the Lighthouse Hostel in Ballymena where a man was found sadly assed away in his room, a box of pregabalin lying beside him.

The post mortem results came back as “inconclusive” and police are awaiting a full toxicology report, said the officer.

Through police enquiries, a witness came forward to claim they knew Hayes had been taking drugs with the deceased the day before his death, the deceased “complained to him tat he gave the defendant £70 to buy pregabalin” but he had not got any from him and also that on the day he was found dead, the witness saw Hayes give the deceased a box of pregabalin.

When Hayes’ room at the hostel was searched, “we found a sheet of pregabalin and it appears to be the same brand as the box that was found in the deceased’s room,” said the officer.

He added that £145 cash along with a list of names and numbers was also seized, revealing that the name of the deceased was on that list which police suspect are dealing figures.

Arrested and interviewed Hayes denied that he is a drug dealer, claiming that the list was of people he had lent money to and although he accepted going to Belfast to buy pregabalin on Thursday and Friday, he denied giving any to the dead man.

According to the detective, Hayes told police the tablets he bought were different to the usual prescription drugs as the blister pack tinfoil was gold rather than silver.

In court today District Judge Nigel Broderick said whole he was content to relate Hayes again, he warned the 31-year-old “you need to be careful” to keep all his bail conditions in future.

“If you break again you will eventually run out of patience with the court or the police so make sure that you are at home or you will be in Maghaberry,” the judge told Hayes, ordering him that as he’s barred from being in Ballymena “go straight to the train station and go straight to Coleraine.”