Portadown man dealt with at Craigavon Magistrates Court for possession of Class C drug

Anton Thomas Kenneth Laverty, aged 32, from Ballyoran Park, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court last Friday charged with possession of the Class C drug Bromazolam.

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A prosecutor told the court that on Friday, January 21 last year, at approximately 6.40pm, police received a report of a road traffic collision in Thomas Street. Police arrived and located two vehicles which appeared to be involved.

“Police observed a white Audi which may have collided with a red Vauxhall Astra parked partially on the pavement. Both vehicles sustained frontal damage,” the prosecutor said.

"The defendant made himself known to police, confirmed he was driving and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His speech was heavily slurred. His eyes were glazed, pupils constricted. He also struggled to remain steady on his feet. He was later arrested.

"Whilst in custody he was searched and police found 22 small blue tablets which were located on the defendant’s person. During interview he claimed they were anabolic steroids. They were taken for testing and found to be Bromazolam which is a Benzodiazepine drug and is not licenced in the UK.”

A defence barrister said the defendant is single and works as a despatch operator for a window firm.

“It is a case of him falling into the wrong company. He has come under their malign influence to the point where he was the subject of a very serious assault by one of these persons. This has been an eye opener for him. He has nothing to do with drugs anymore.”

District Judge Bernie Kelly said she wanted to understand how much Laverty values his own life.

“On January 21, 2022 he has an accident with a stationary vehicle. He is barely fit to stand. The only charge I have is the drugs but just outlining the facts outlined by the prosecution. Clearly from that description and the outcome of his driving he should not have been behind the wheel of a car that 21st of January last year. On January 22 he is detected for something similar because he is then facing a charge of failing to provide. That’s a daily basis. It is his personal choice, he is an adult, what intoxicants he consumes. If they are illegal he will eventually face appearing before the courts.

"What is not acceptable is that he gets in behind the wheel of a car when he engages in that sort of behaviour because he is then putting the lives of other human beings at risk.”

The barrister said he had explained that to his client.

The judge said: “His entire lifestyle shows a total cavalier attitude towards human life.”

His barrister said: “He was hanging around and had fallen into the wrong company and he suffered greatly because of that. He now has steady employment. Before he fell into the wrong company he worked. He wants to get back to where he was. He has broken the cycle and does not want to re-engage with any of these people.”

Laverty was fined £300 together with the Offender Levy and a destruction order for the drugs