A young Waterford man who was caught with drugs and a knife after running from the Gardaí had his case put back for a probation report last week.
Killian Brophy (20), from Co. Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle at a sitting of Waterford District Court recently, and pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for personal use and for unlawful sale and / or supply, contrary to Sections 3 and 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, impeding a Garda member from carrying out their duties, contrary to Section 21(4) of the same act, as well as possession of a knife in public, contrary to Section 9 (1) and (7) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990. The charges related to an incident that occurred in May 2025.
Sergeant Michael Hickey outlined to the court that on 31 May 2025, Gardaí were on patrol on William Street, Waterford City Centre, when they encountered a vehicle which drew their attention.
A man, who was identified as the accused, was in the car with another person, and when Gardaí approached to speak to them, the accused fled on foot with a backpack.
After a chase, Gardaí caught the accused and discovered €2,000 worth of cannabis in his bag, and a knife in his pocket.
Sgt. Hickey stated that although the defendant did not pull the knife on Gardaí, he had it in his possession with no “lawful excuse” for it.
The Sergeant added that the accused has one previous conviction for a matter not relevant to these charges.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that his client has no relevant previous convictions, and had put in an “exceptionally early” guilty plea, as the case was heard after Judge Cheatle accepted jurisdiction earlier in the morning.
Mr. Cunningham said that the accused is 20 years of age, is working full-time as a roofer, and was present in court with his mother. The solicitor then added that at the time of the incident, his client had begun hanging around with a peer group who were associated with drugs, which is “something not unusual for a young man of his age to become involved with now.”
He also outlined how the accused was a rear seat passenger in the car, and no one else has been prosecuted from the incident.
The solicitor presented testimonials for the accused from his mother, and father, who is also his employer, to the Judge.
Mr. Cunningham concluded by saying that the accused had come from a “difficult and challenging background” after being diagnosed with ADHD at the age 7, but is “stable now”, and has come to no adverse Garda attention since this incident in May.
Judge Cheatle decided to put the accused’s case back for a report on him to be prepared by the Probation Service. It was indicated that this would take between 8 – 10 weeks to complete.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
