Woman, 26, avoids prison for stashing drugs in hospital toilet
Amy Heaphy, aged 26, who had an address at Loughmahon Court, Mahon, Cork, was convicted on charges of possessing small quantities of diamorphine, better known as heroin, cannabis, and Upjohn tablets at Cork University Hospital on April 29, 2011, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another person.
Heaphy pleaded guilty to that charge and to several shoplifting charges, with sentencing adjourned in April 2012 to give her a chance to deal with her drug issues and to gather over €700 compensation for the shops where she stole goods.
Donal Daly, defending, said yesterday that Heaphy went to England at the time and took on various treatment programmes and was now totally free of drink and drugs.
Mr Daly said Garda Ray Costello, who knew the accused, confirmed that she was an entirely different person to the person who came to the attention of gardaí five years ago. She also had the remainder of the €700 due to the stores.
On April 29, 2011, drugs were found concealed under a rubbish bin in a public toilet at the physiotherapy department of CUH.
Detective Sergeant Tim Murphy and Detective Garda James Bugler conducted a surveillance outside this toilet area and saw Heaphy going there to retrieve the parcel at 7.50pm on that date.
Heaphy admitted placing the drugs under the bin earlier in the day to be collected by a third party, but said she later got a call to say the drugs would not be collected so she returned to get them.
Judge Leo Malone imposed the suspended sentence and took the shoplifting charges into consideration.
