Wicklow man with ‘chronic drug addiction’ sentenced for two drug offences

Eric Coster (33) of Kilbride Grove, Bray, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act at his home on June 29, 2022.

Garda Brian O’Neill told a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court that cannabis was discovered during a search of the property together with a number of “deal bags” and tablets with a combined value of €3,152.

Garda O’Neill said Coster was arrested and made full admissions.

The court heard the accused also pleaded guilty to a charge of simple possession of drugs a month later when gardai searched a tent where he had been living near Kilcoole railway station on July 23, 2022 after getting a strong smell of cannabis in the area.

The witness said cannabis with a value of €400 was found in the tent, although Coster denied knowledge of a set of digital scales found in the same location.

Garda O’Neill told the court that the accused had 89 previous convictions including ones for drug offences, road traffic offences and theft.

He described Coster as a chronic drug addict with learning difficulties but also someone who was very cooperative to gardaí and took responsibility for his offending.

Cross-examined by counsel for the accused, Eoin Gallagher BL, Garda O’Neill said Coster had come to the attention of gardaí in relation to other drug offences since the two dates in question.

However, the witness accepted there had been “a significant gap” of almost a year since the last known offence.

He agreed that Coster had “fallen off the radar” since July 2023.

Mr Gallagher acknowledged that Coster was deemed at a high risk of reoffending because of his very significant drugs issue.

The court heard that he had worked when a younger man and had travelled around Europe but his use of casual drugs had eventually ended up in him taking heroin.

However, Mr Gallagher said Coster was now living back at home and had become a father with his four-year-old child now his focus.

He recounted how the accused had remarked that he did not want a custodial sentence as there were “more drugs in prison than there are out there.”

Mr Gallagher said Coster had a “road to Damascus moment” and asked he be given an opportunity to follow through on his plans to seek treatment for his addiction.

Judge Terence O’Sullivan sentenced the accused to 18 months for the first offence and six months for the second offence.

The judge said they would be imposed consecutively as the second offence had been committed while Coster was out on bail.

However, he suspended the full sentence of two years on condition that place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service and attend specified drug treatment services.

Judge O’Sullivan remarked that incarceration would not help the accused and he was being given a chance “that he has to take.”

He expressed sympathy for people in Coster’s situation whom he claimed was a “classic case” of its type.