A mother-of-four who said she was pressured by criminal groups to hold drugs in her home and was “living in fear” has told a court that she is now a born-again Christian.
Lisa Lyons, of Mac Uilliam Grove, Tallaght, Dublin 24, appeared before Judge Michael Connellan at Tallaght District Court on Friday in relation to a search carried out at her home by Garda Nicky Cleere on November 15th, 2021.
During the search, gardaí discovered a handbag hidden inside a larger bag. The court heard that inside were nine individual bags of cannabis weighing 29 grams, along with €508 in cash.
The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to the possession of cannabis for sale or supply, contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and unlawful possession under Section 3 of the same Act.
The court heard Lyons has six previous convictions, all road traffic offences, but has no history of drugs offending.
She was represented by Ethan Foley BL, who said his client had been placed under significant pressure by certain groups to hold the drugs and had been living in fear. “There’s no sign of any wealth in her home,” he told the court, adding that Lyons had no previous involvement in drugs and had cooperated fully with gardaí.
“Is it fair to say this is a once-off?” Judge Connellan asked. Mr Foley agreed, citing Lyons’ relatively clean record, difficult personal circumstances and the fact that she had been living in fear at the time.
The court was told Lyons is a full-time mother and that one of her children has special needs, while she also volunteers with the DSPCA.
She told Judge Connellan that she had been struggling with anxiety at the time of the offence, but that she is now doing much better. “I’m a born-again Christian,” she said.
Mr Foley asked the court to be as lenient as possible, before Judge Connellan imposed a fine of €600 with seven months to pay.