Latest news with #cocaineaddiction
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Woman granted barring order over abusive behaviour by partner
A woman whose partner allegedly 'forces' her to have sex 'every second night' has been granted an interim barring order against him. The woman, who sought the order against her partner of more than a decade at the emergency domestic violence court at Dublin's Dolphin House, claimed on one occasion she was left covered in bruises. She told Judge Mark O'Connell that her partner has had a cocaine addiction for two years, claiming he gets 'very paranoid' and abusive. 'He always thinks I'm cheating on him, and he follows me everywhere,' she said. READ MORE She added that her partner, with whom she has a child, wakes her up in the middle of the night and 'forces' her to have sex, which I don't want.' Noting this constitutes rape, the judge asked how often it occurs, with the woman saying it was 'every second night'. 'One night, he uses me, and the other night, he sleeps,' she said. On one occasion, the woman said she was brought to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital by gardaí and was 'all bruises.' She said her partner has been charged by the gardaí. 'He is behaving in an absolutely violent and unacceptable way,' said the judge. 'He has to leave.' She was granted an interim barring order against her partner until a full hearing, in which one of up to three years could be granted. The temporary order will mean her partner is removed from the home by gardaí and prohibited from contacting her. She was one of about 15 people, the vast majority women, to seek emergency protection at the court on Friday morning. Another woman, who said she was 'in fear of my life and my kids' lives', was granted a protection order against her former partner. She claimed he was sharing her current location online and posting allegations that she is a 'child molester' and 'running a paedophile ring'. 'It's putting the lives of my kids in danger,' she told the judge. The woman, who is staying in emergency accommodation with her children, said she is 'petrified that he's going to send people.' 'I've been in and out of hostels and this is my fifth homeless accommodation because of this man, because he keeps turning up with blades, turning up with baseball bats, with hatchets. 'He has beat me so bad that he made me urinate myself. I'm in fear of my life and my kids' lives,' she said. She claimed on one occasion, she was held hostage by the man for a week in his house and was seriously assaulted, saying she subsequently required brain scans at a hospital. 'I was bleeding from the ears,' she said. The woman, who is originally from another county in Ireland, said she did not report the ordeal to gardaí as she was 'petrified.' She also alleged that the man has been attending her children's schools and trying to contact her older child on social media, through 'other children.' 'I can't take it any more,' she said. The judge granted the protection order until a full hearing. The order prohibits any contact, intimidation, and violence, and if breached, can result in a fine, prison sentence or both. Another woman was granted a protection order after telling the judge her former partner was allegedly using drugs in front of their children on a trip abroad. She said her son, aged over 10, had been 'acting out' over the last year or so, and after he began to attend counselling sessions, 'it all came out' that his father had used drugs in front of him at a hotel abroad. 'He actually took 12 tablets and told the kids that if he doesn't wake up, to go down and tell the reception. The kids were petrified; they sat in the room for the whole two days,' she said.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Astronomical' cocaine use and debt lands man in jail
A man who got caught up with an international drug syndicate was trying to clear a $15,000 debt he amassed by consuming an "astronomical" amount of cocaine, a court has been told. Connor McFarlane was arrested in April 2024 after being caught red-handed while trying to collect a shipment of about 25kg of ketamine which had been smuggled into Australia. The 23-year-old drove a rental car to the Sydney location provided by an acquaintance to collect the drugs, estimated to have a street value of $7.35 million. McFarlane didn't know what kind of drug he was collecting or that it was a commercial quantity, Judge Graham Turnbull said while sentencing him to a maximum of four years in jail. Penrith District Court was told the drugs had been stashed inside three cars, but were detected by authorities and replaced with an inert substance. McFarlane was told his participation would clear a debt of between $10,000 and $15,000, which he amassed due to a cocaine addiction. Prior to the offence, Judge Turnbull noted McFarlane reported consuming just under an ounce of cocaine in a week, "which is an astronomical amount". "It was not an insubstantial debt and accordingly that may well have suggested to (McFarlane) this was not an insubstantial importation that he was to be involved in," he said. The judge said McFarlane's involvement showed his immaturity, ignorance of the consequences, and his impaired thinking as he "wallowed in a drug-addicted lifestyle". "He seems to me to be a young man who's walked into something far beyond his contemplation," he said. "It's young men and women like the offender who provide easy marks for drug syndicates." The court was told sophisticated international networks sourced the drugs, concealed them, and dispatched them to Australia before McFarlane was tasked with collection. While the 23-year-old only became involved in "the last step" of the offence, Judge Turnbull said it was a crucial task to the success of drug importation. He took into account McFarlane's difficult upbringing and dedication to rehabilitating himself, but said there must be a stern warning to would-be traffickers that the risk of severe punishment cancelled out financial rewards. McFarlane was sentenced to four years behind bars for attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawful import. He will be eligible for parole in July 2026 after a year and nine months in jail.
RNZ News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Wiggins credits recovery from addiction to Lance Armstrong's support
Photo: KRISTOF VAN ACCOM Five-time Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins said that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has played a key role in his recovery from cocaine addiction, saying he feels "indebted" to the American. Last month former Tour de France winner Wiggins said he became addicted to cocaine after his retirement from the sport in 2016 and was "lucky" after getting sober a year ago. The 45-year-old described Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping, as a "great strength and inspiration" after receiving his support since ending his career. "Lance has been very, very good to me. That's not something everyone wants to hear because people only like to hear the bad stuff," Wiggins said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday. "It's on a human level. You can only take someone how they treat you. "Lance has been a source of inspiration to me and a constant source of help towards me and is one of the main factors why I'm in this position I am today mentally and physically, so, I'm indebted to him for that." Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012 and collected a then-British record eight Olympic medals, including gold in the time trial at the 2012 London Games. He is now collaborating on Armstrong's podcast The Move , where they will be covering this summer's Tour de France, and said their relationship has been grounded in mutual understanding beyond cycling. In December last year, Wiggins said Armstrong had offered to fund his therapy for mental health issues. - Reuters
CNA
06-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Britain's Wiggins says he owes recovery from addiction to Armstrong's support
Five-time Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins said that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has played a key role in his recovery from cocaine addiction, saying he feels "indebted" to the American. Last month former Tour de France winner Wiggins said he became addicted to cocaine after his retirement from the sport in 2016 and was "lucky" after getting sober a year ago. The 45-year-old described Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping, as a "great strength and inspiration" after receiving his support since ending his career. "Lance has been very, very good to me. That's not something everyone wants to hear because people only like to hear the bad stuff," Wiggins said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday. "It's on a human level. You can only take someone how they treat you. "Lance has been a source of inspiration to me and a constant source of help towards me and is one of the main factors why I'm in this position I am today mentally and physically, so, I'm indebted to him for that." Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012 and collected a then-British record eight Olympic medals, including gold in the time trial at the 2012 London Games. He is now collaborating on Armstrong's podcast The Move, where they will be covering this summer's Tour de France, and said their relationship has been grounded in mutual understanding beyond cycling. In December last year, Wiggins said Armstrong had offered to fund his therapy for mental health issues.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Britain's Wiggins says he owes recovery from addiction to Armstrong's support
June 6 (Reuters) - Five-time Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins said that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has played a key role in his recovery from cocaine addiction, saying he feels "indebted" to the American. Last month former Tour de France winner Wiggins said he became addicted to cocaine after his retirement from the sport in 2016 and was "lucky" after getting sober a year ago. The 45-year-old described Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping, as a "great strength and inspiration" after receiving his support since ending his career. "Lance has been very, very good to me. That's not something everyone wants to hear because people only like to hear the bad stuff," Wiggins said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday. "It's on a human level. You can only take someone how they treat you. "Lance has been a source of inspiration to me and a constant source of help towards me and is one of the main factors why I'm in this position I am today mentally and physically, so, I'm indebted to him for that." Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012 and collected a then-British record eight Olympic medals, including gold in the time trial at the 2012 London Games. He is now collaborating on Armstrong's podcast The Move, where they will be covering this summer's Tour de France, and said their relationship has been grounded in mutual understanding beyond cycling. In December last year, Wiggins said Armstrong had offered to fund his therapy for mental health issues.
