A young Waterford sports star was recently ordered to make a court poor box donation for drug offences.
Anthony Ebhonuaye (21) of 2 Beech Grove, Greenfields, Old Tramore Road, Waterford, pleaded guilty to two charges, one for being in possession of drugs contrary to Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, and one for sale and supply of drugs, contrary to Section 15 of the same act, at a sitting of Waterford District Court before Judge John Cheatle last December.
Sergeant Michael Hickey told the court that on 6 March 2025, Gardaí stopped a vehicle that was driving in South Parade, Waterford city. Gardaí spoke to the driver, who was identified as the accused, and after their suspicions were raised, they conducted a search of the accused’s house. This led them to discover €400 worth of cocaine.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that his client has no previous convictions and entered a guilty plea at the earliest possible opportunity. He stated that the accused is an elite athlete that plays for a “well-known” local soccer club in Waterford, and is anxious to avoid a conviction.
Mr Cunningham added that the accused is currently working as a personal trainer and is planning to return to college soon.
After noting the accused was present in court, Judge Cheatle said “I wouldn’t like to meet him on a soccer pitch.”
Judge Cheatle decided to put the matter back to March 2026, to give the accused a chance to come to no further Garda attention. He also invited him to make a €300 donation to the court poor box, noting that if this was also completed before March, the matters would be struck out.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
