Drugs defendant won't spend any more time in jail, despite undue leniency finding

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a Riverstown man's drugs sentence was unduly lenient, yet he will serve no additional time in custody. James Murphy, aged 66, was convicted in 2021 of participating in a joint enterprise to supply cocaine valued at €281,148, which was seized by gardaí at a McDonald's car park in Drogheda in November 2015. He was originally sentenced to seven years with the final year suspended. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed on grounds of undue leniency. Mr Justice Brian O'Moore found the sentencing judge's treatment of Murphy on equal terms with his co-accused was "seriously flawed" and increased the sentence to ten years, the mandatory minimum. However, noting Murphy had already completed his original sentence and was released into the community, the judge suspended the final four years of the revised sentence for twelve months, contingent on no further offences.