A MAN has been sentenced to three years for blackmailing a former Fianna Fáil councillor using pictures of him allegedly taking cocaine.
Wesley Higgins (33) attempted to extort €5,000 from Liam Kelly, a Dublin city councillor for Finglas/Glasnevin, by threatening to give the pictures to a newspaper.
When Mr Kelly refused to hand over the money, Higgins sold the pictures to the Sunday World where they appeared shortly afterwards. The court heard Higgins was addicted to cocaine at the time and needed money for drugs.
Mr Kelly told the court he did not want to see Higgins imprisoned, However, Judge Desmond Hogan called it a “premeditated, conniving and sly” crime and imposed a three-year term, with the final 18 months suspended.
“This is a very serious offence which is met with universal public opprobrium,” the judge commented. He said Mr Kelly was targeted because he was a public representative and “a decent, charitable man who unfortunately had a weakness – a severe problem with drink.”
The court heard Mr Kelly is a recovering alcoholic who doesn’t remember large parts of the night when the pictures were taken but has always denied taking cocaine.
Higgins, of Dundaniel Road, Kilmore, Coolock, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to demanding money with menaces between August 6th and 12th, 2006.
Midway through the trial, Higgins changed his plea to guilty.
Det Garda Martin Wall told prosecuting counsel Tony McGillicuddy that Mr Kelly knew Higgins on a casual basis and arranged to be picked up by him in the city centre and brought to a party in the early hours of the morning.
Several days later, Higgins again phoned the councillor and said a girl in the house had pictures of him taking cocaine and wanted €5,000 to not go to the newspapers. The following Saturday, a Sunday World journalist confronted Mr Kelly with the pictures and asked him if he was taking cocaine. Mr Kelly denied he was and alerted the Garda.
Higgins was arrested and initially claimed he was acting as a go-between for the woman in return for €500. He later admitted selling the photos to the newspaper himself for €4,500.
Defence counsel Keith Spencer said Mr Kelly was taking a “philosophical” and “benevolent” view towards Higgins and did not want him jailed. Counsel said Higgins had a serious cocaine addiction at the time but is now drug-free.
He said he is engaged to be married and has a young daughter. Mr Spencer added his client works as a motorbike courier and has a very supportive family.
After the court case, Mr Kelly was highly critical of the handling of the matter by Fianna Fáil and said he had felt “betrayed”.
Mr Kelly also said he was “troubled” by the jailing of Higgins, that his crime was driven by addiction and “that should be understood and not denounced”.