Courts / Dublin / Report
Three who admitted watering cannabis plants in grow house avoid jail
Summary
At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced three men for cultivating cannabis at a grow-house on Commons Road, Clondalkin. Mark Clooney, 40, pleaded guilty to the charge. His brothers, Wayne Burgess, 32, and Jason Burgess, 33, also pleaded guilty to the same offence. The court heard gardaí discovered 77 cannabis plants with a potential value of €61,600, along with cultivation equipment in a sealed tent. Judge O'Connor accepted that the defendants' roles were at the lower end of the scale of criminality, noting they had been offered work watering the plants. She sentenced Clooney and Jason Burgess to two years in prison, suspended in full on the condition that they keep the peace for two years. Wayne Burgess was sentenced to 20 months in prison, also fully suspended, with an order to keep the peace for the duration of the sentence. The judge noted Wayne Burgess had been threatened and that Jason Burgess had lost his plumbing business during the downturn. Clooney, a taxi driver, admitted financial difficulties. The judge stated all three were at low risk of re-offending and had pleaded guilty early, describing the operation as professional but acknowledging the defendants' limited involvement.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Three who admitted watering cannabis plants in grow house avoid jail. Charges or matters: cultivating cannabis. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 24, 2013 Incident
- 2014-12-11 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: cultivating cannabis (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced Clooney and Jason Burgess to two years in prison, but suspended it in full on condition that they keep the peace for two years.
Defendant
Charges: cultivating cannabis (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced Clooney and Jason Burgess to two years in prison, but suspended it in full on condition that they keep the peace for two years.
Defendant
Charges: cultivating cannabis (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: She sentenced Wayne Burgess to 20 months in prison, fully suspended, ordering him also to keep the peace for the whole of the sentence.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Commons Road
- Harelawn Crescent
Topics
Drugs Stage Sentence Taxi Trouble
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