A drug dealer who claims a newspaper article drove him to hide abroad for 17 months has had his seven-year sentence reimposed by Judge Kieran O'Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Stephen Comerford (24), of Drumfinn Road, Ballyfermot, was given the suspended sentence by Judge O'Connor in July 1997 for possession of heroin for supply. The conditions included that he reside with his mother and remain under probation supervision.
The case was re-entered by the probation service in February 1999 when a bench warrant was issued for Comerford. He was arrested at his home on April 26th last and was brought before Judge O'Connor on May 12th.
Judge O'Connor was told then that Comerford and his mother had been forced to flee because of threats against the family, which included bullets being sent to them through the post, following publication of the article, which gave details of the jailing for 12 years in Manchester of Comerford's brother, Seanie, on charges relating to drug-trafficking.
The judge refused to allow Comerford out on bail again and adjourned the hearing to allow him to provide details of where he was for the 17 months he was missing, as well as to allow gardai to investigate his claims.
Mr Michael O'Higgins, defending, said that the article, in the Sunday World of November 15th, 1998, was "as scurrilous as one could get". The article, which claimed that a gang had flooded Dublin with drugs and was "giving two fingers to the law", had included a reference to a "babyfaced thug" and had carried a photograph of his client "in a gangster pose with a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth". Mr O'Higgins said it was accepted by all that this was untrue regarding his client.
Sgt Eamonn Buckley told the court that the Comerfords were "well known to gardai, due to their activities". Several Garda searches of their residence since March 1999 had shown that Mrs Comerford was living there. She had never complained about intimidation or threats.
Sgt Buckley told Mr Des Zaidan, prosecuting, that addresses indicated by Comerford in Manchester had all checked out, but he had not been able to give addresses for Liverpool, where he claimed he had lived on the streets for some time.
Gardai were not satisfied with the reason given by him for leaving. There had been no vigilante activity in recent years in the Ballyfermot area, "and certainly not at the Comerford address".
Judge O'Connor said he had imposed a condition on Stephen Comerford that he reside with his mother and remain under probation supervision. He had broken those conditions and his sentence had to be reimposed.
However, he would adopt the plea made by Mr O'Higgins and review the case on December 12th next, when the court would also want a letter from the prison governor about Comerford's behaviour in jail as well as urine analysis reports.