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Man ‘blighted and destroyed by drugs’ jailed for thefts at two pharmacies on same night

Jamie Farrell (33) was sentenced to 18 months in prison

© Sligo Champion

Today at 07:44

A 33 year old man who broke into two Sligo pharmacies in the space of a couple of hours and took medication was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Judge Sinead Ní Chúlacháín at Sligo Circuit Court on Thursday.

Jamie Farrell, Glendallon, Ballytivnan, Sligo was charged with entering Burke’s Pharmacy, Wine St, Sligo on March 29th 2023 as a trespasser to commit theft.

He was also charged with breaking the glass in the main door and causing €350 worth of damage.

On March 29th 2023 at Higgins Pharmacy, Market Cross, Sligo he was charged with entering the premises as a trespasser to commit theft.

He was also charged with breaking the glass to the main door and causing damage to the value of €385.

The sentencing hearing took place at the Circuit Court on Thursday morning.

Mr Leo Mulrooney BL with Ms Elisa McHugh (State Solicitor) Prosecuted while Mr Keith O’Grady BL instructed by Mr Tom MacSharry solicitor represented the defendant.

Garda Conor McNulty of Sligo Garda Station outlined the evidence, led by Mr Mulrooney.

He said there were four charges before the court, all committed in March 2023.

The two sets of offences were committed in the space of a few hours.

When arraigned at the Circuit Court on January 23rd last, the accused pleaded guilty to the burglary charges with the other charges taken into consideration on a full facts basis, the court heard.

Gda Lorraine Brennan received a call about a burglary in Burke’s Pharmacy, Wine St, Sligo at 11:20pm.

The alarm was going off and the glass to the front door was broken. The owner of the pharmacy arrived and they viewed the CCTV footage.

A man could be seen throwing a concrete slab at the front door breaking it. He stole a number of boxes of tablets and made his way out, dropping some of the boxes as he ran.

Gda Brennan noted the man’s clothing, he was wearing a red jacket and dark tracksuit bottoms.

Three hours after the initial incident, at 3am Gda McNulty was responding to a report that an alarm was going off in Higgins’ Pharmacy, Market Cross.

On his arrival, he could see the front door was smashed and there was blood on the ground. He waited for the keyholder to arrive and as he was waiting, a member of the public said they observed a man acting suspiciously wearing a red jacket.

He went in the direction of Connaughton Road. The man matched the description of the suspect Gda Brennan identified.

Gda McNulty made his way to Connaughton Road and spoke to a male known as Jamie Farrell. He searched him and recovered a large amount of prescription drugs. Some of the labels were from Higgins’ Pharmacy. He was then arrested.

He was conveyed to Sligo Garda Station and was certified unfit for questioning.

The following day he was interviewed and made full admissions.

The owner of Burke’s Pharmacy said a quantity of tablets were stolen, namely anti-depressants, sleeping tablets and tranquillisers. The cost of the tablets were €20 or thirty euro. The estimate of the door was €350. The owner of Higgins’ Pharmacy said that a small amount of medication was stolen value €20. The damage to the door was €385.

There was CCTV footage from both burglaries. In the Higgins’ burglary, a keg or barrell was used to smash the glass door while a brick or slab was used in the Burke’s one.

When interviewed by gardaí, Farrell told them he was addicted to drugs, namely opiods and heroin. He had been taking drugs since the age of 15. At the time he was living with his partner and two children.

He was spending €25 on heroin per day and was taking the drug most days although some days he would go without.

He initially said he didn’t remember why he was arrested. Farrell said he was bullied into it to pay off a drug debt. He said he went in and grabbed a few boxes.

He identified himself on the CCTV footage. He said he would like to apologise and repay. He told gardaí he was forced into it and said he owed hundreds.

He said the people threatened to burn his mother’s house and car. People had pulled up in a car and told him he owed €1,500 and was sent in to steal perfume.

When asked by Mr Mulrooney if he accepted that, Gda McNulty said he wouldn’t. He said owing €1,500 he would have taken larger monetary items. He said he went in to feed his habit.

Mr Mulrooney said he did say he was looking for perfume but couldn’t find it. Photographs were shown of medication on the ground in both pharmacies.

The court was told Farrell had spent 24 weeks in custody on these charges. He had 47 previous convictions, which Gda McNulty outlined in detail, including 12 for burglary, one for aggravated burglary, three for robbery, three for criminal damage and three for theft.

The first offence was in 2009 when he was aged 19. The first imprisonment was for burglary in 2012 when he was 22.

The owners of the pharmacies were made aware of the sentencing hearing and could make Victim Impact Statement but didn’t wish to do so.

Mr O’Grady told Gda McNulty his client accepts that he committed the offences to feed his habit. The garda agreed that he made full admissions and identified himself on CCTV. He apologised and said he was sorry and said he would pay back the money but it was agreed there was no reality to this.

Mr O’Grady said the first time he acted for Farrell was before Judge Hunt which was not today or yesterday. He said he was probably one of the nicest people when sober but when taking heroin is out of control.

He has the support of his partner and family and his mother was in court with him.

He said that when he goes back into the community, he is not capable of this and falls into bad company and it all starts again.

The barrister said that for most of his children’s lives, he has been in and out of prison. He said it was the most tragic of cases of a man blighted and destroyed by drugs.

He said he can’t cope when he goes back into the community and he relapses.

He was asking the court to consider entering him into a treatment programme that works with after care for difficulties when he goes back into the community as he cannot cope.

Mr O’Grady said Gda McNulty is policing the streets of Sligo for many years and would be aware of this.

He asked the court to backdate the sentence to give him some light.

Judge Ní Chúlacháín said Farrell had been given the benefit of a suspended sentence before and had relapsed not immediately but fairly quickly.

Mr O’Grady said the best place for him was to be out of Sligo but there was no reality of that as his mother and family are here.

He said his client needs very serious treatment.

Judge Ní Chúlacháín said he pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary both of which occurred in the night and early morning. The criminal damage charges were being taken into consideration.

He went into both pharmacies and took tablets. In his initial interviews, he said he was under pressure to pay debt but she was perfectly satisfied it was to feed his own addiction.

He was able to take perfume but he walked past them. It was not a residential property and the premises were unoccupied at the time.

The value was relatively low and there was damage to the doors and he was not going to make good on that.

She said it was a spree and he wasn’t satisfied with what he got in the first premises and then went to the second which was an aggravating factor.

She said that drug addiction was a scourge in our society and that it was virtually impossible for owners of pharmacies with persons like Mr Farrell engaging in this sort of behaviour.

She said the headline sentence was the upper end of four years. In relation to mitigation, she said he had pleaded guilty, had made an early admission and she said if there was any defence to it as he was caught red handed and his blood was on the ground and there were Higgins’ Pharmacy labels.

She said she was going to reduce it to three years in prison and suspend 18 months for a period of two years.

She ordered him to be of good behaviour, remain sober, remain under the Probation Services and engage in any treatment programme.

She backdated the sentence to August 15.