A 21-year-old man with 33 previous convictions who was said to have “fallen in with the wrong crowd” may be “the wrong crowd himself”, a judge has noted after hearing that he was caught with cocaine on St Patrick’s night.
Aaron Crowley, of Deerpark Downs, Tallaght, Dublin 24, appeared before Judge Anne Watkin at Dún Laoghaire District Court over the incident on 17 March, 2024.
The court heard that gardaí were directing heavy traffic on Simmonscourt Road, Dublin 4, at about 11.30pm following a St Patrick’s Day event at the RDS when Crowley, driving a Honda Civic, came at such speed that he could not stop and swerved past an officer instead.
He was originally charged under section 53(1) of the Road Traffic Act with dangerous driving, but the charge was reduced to careless driving. Crowley pleaded guilty to careless driving and the unlawful possession of cocaine under section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
Gardaí told the court that Crowley had also been tested for drug-driving on the night but nothing was detected in his system.
The court heard that he has 25 previous road-traffic convictions and those for a series of drug offences, including for the possession of heroin for sale or supply. Crowley is also currently serving a two-year driving ban imposed last December.
Defence counsel, Michael O’Brien BL, said that his client had been forced out of the family home as a teenager, had “fallen in with the wrong crowd” and abused cocaine for several years.
However, he has not taken drugs for 18 months and no longer drinks alcohol, the barrister said.
Judge Watkin responded: “From what I’ve heard, he sounds like he is the wrong crowd himself.” She added it was “amazing” that Crowley had not already been jailed given the nature of his record, which included supplying drugs he did not himself use.
She ordered a probation report and adjourned sentencing until January.