A YOUNG MAN acting as a “drugs runner” for another person has been sentenced to four years in prison for supplying cocaine to a party which led to the deaths of two Waterford men in December 2007.
Kevin Doyle, an electronics student at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) from Viewmount, and John Grey (23) became critically ill and later died after ingesting both cocaine and ecstasy at a party in Mr Grey’s family home in the early hours of November 25th, 2007.
Darren Flynn (20), a part-time labourer, from Priory Lawn, Ballybeg, pleaded guilty at the Circuit Court in Waterford yesterday to the possession of cocaine. Mr Doyle died on December 4th, while Mr Grey died four days later.
The party had begun on Saturday, November 24th, at the Ultimate Bar on High Street, to celebrate Mark Grey’s 21st birthday.
A large number of people then went to the Grey family home at Ballybeg Square at about 12.30am on November 25th.
“The accused took out a large bag of cocaine and passed it around,” the court was told. A number of people, including Flynn, “started getting sick” after ingesting “wet cocaine”. Mr Doyle and Mr Grey lapsed into a coma and neither regained consciousness.
Judge Rory MacCabe sentenced Flynn, who has 10 previous convictions, to four years in prison for the possession of cocaine for sale or supply.
He was also sentenced to 18 months for a criminal damage incident in August 2006 and to four years for an aggravated burglary at a house on Wellington Street in the city in April 2007.
All sentences are to run concurrently.
“I suppose it would be very thoughtless of me not to sympathise with the families of the two young persons who died in the course of this situation,” Judge MacCabe said.
