A 43-year-old man who was found with cocaine in a parked camper van has avoided a conviction after a judge noted he has since turned his life around and is now helping others in addiction recovery.
Darren Kane, of Butterfield Close, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, was discovered asleep in the driver’s seat of a Volkswagen camper van at around 1:50am on 9 May 2021, at the Spawell Service Station. Gardaí told the District Court that they found two deals of suspected cocaine, worth €70 each, in the passenger seat.
Kane pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs under section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The court heard he has 27 previous convictions, including five under the same act, and was previously handed a 10-month suspended sentence in May 2022 for a Section 15 drugs offence.
However, his defence counsel told Tallaght District Court that Kane had made “remarkable” progress since then.
The court heard he had completed a 20-month residential programme at Cuan Mhuire and obtained a Level 6 qualification in psychology. The court also heard that he was now volunteering to support others in addiction recovery and had spoken at a graduation event in March 2024, sharing his journey and the importance of second chances.
Judge Deirdre Gearty noted that Kane appeared to have turned his life around and was now a “positive influence” on others in the position he once found himself in.
Applying the Probation of Offenders Act, Section 1.1, Judge Gearty decided that no conviction should be recorded.