A prosecution lawyer told Judge Flannan Brennan at Castleblayney District Court, Co Monaghan, yesterday that the sale of cigarettes to minors could contribute to the ruination of the lives of many young people throughout the country, causing them to become addicted to smoking which had already been proved most harmful.
George V Moloney was representing the Health Service Executive (North Eastern Region) in a number of prosecutions for breaches in the legislation restricting sales of tobacco and cigarettes to minors.
Louise Rooney, a shopkeeper, of Rooneys' General Stores, For- mil, Drumacrib, Castleblayney, was fined €100 and ordered to pay costs and expenses of €1,846, when convicted over the sale of cigarettes to a person aged 14, on August 26th, 2005.
A similar prosecution against Anthony Rooney, same address, was dismissed by the judge.
In another case, Judge Brennan applied the Probation Act when convicting a student, Marie Courtney (19), with an address at Top Service Station, Drumganus, Broomfield, Co Monaghan, for the sale of cigarettes to a minor, also on the same day.
The judge was told she was a business studies student, who was only working at the time in the premises where the offence took place, and a conviction would have serious repercussions for her career.
Defence counsel Martin Dully BL, defending, undertook, upon the conviction, to have the costs in the particular prosecution paid by the owners of the premises.
A further prosecution against Raymond McCaughey, Drumganus, Broomfield, was dismissed.
The court was told at a previous hearing that officers from the HSE visited a number of premises in the region, and used the services of a young boy to enter shops and seek to purchase cigarettes. The prosecutions followed where the sale of cigarettes to the minor took place.
Mr Moloney, for the health body, said there was concern over the purchase of cigarettes by youngsters, as it helped them to become addicted to smoking which, it was accepted, was so ruinous to health .