Latest news with #drugdebt
BBC News
30-07-2025
- BBC News
Ferndale house fire sees two appear in court charged with arson
Two people have appeared in court following a fire in Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Truman, 19, and Alfie Wheeler, 18, both from Weston-super-Mare, appeared in Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court on Wednesday charged with arson with intent to endanger life. One house was badly damaged and others were evacuated following the blaze in Protheroe Street on 28 July. No-one was badly Wheeler has also been charged with possessing a knife blade or a sharp pointed article in a public place. Magistrates were told the group had "travelled together to specifically target" a property believing two individuals "had not repaid a drug debt".The court heard the fire caused £650,000 worth of damage to three properties, their contents and a were told the case was so serious that it had to be dealt with at crown case was sent to Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court for a hearing on 27 were no applications for bail and the pair were remanded in Gustar, 19, and Connor Pitt, 23, are expected to appear before magistrates later, charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
Daily Mail
30-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Zac vanished without a trace near a train station in Australia - now a coroner has exposed what could have put a target on his back
A young tradie who is believed to have died after he mysteriously vanished without a trace paid off a drug debt three days before his disappearance, a coroner has found. Zac Barnes, 18, was last seen getting out of a friend's car and running into bushland in a panicked state near Thornton train station in the NSW Hunter Valley on the night of Sunday, November 13, 2016. The apprentice didn't have his phone or wallet and hasn't been seen or heard from since. His phone and social media accounts remain inactive from that time. The inquest into his suspected death, which began in 2023, resumed earlier this month after police finalised their investigation. Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes recently handed down her findings that Mr Barnes died on or shortly after November 13, 2016 but was unable to determine the manner, cause, or place of his death. 'I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Zac is deceased,' she said. 'I am also satisfied on the balance of probabilities that he died in suspicious circumstances.' She referred Mr Barnes' disappearance to the NSW Police Unsolved Homicide Team. Zac Barnes (pictured with his mum and several siblings) was last seen alive on the night of Sunday, November 13, 2016 The inquest heard confronting details about the apprentice teen's drug use, alcohol consumption, troubling behaviour, and accrued drug debts in the months and days before he disappeared. He missed his older brother's 21st birthday celebrations a fortnight prior after drinking heavily during a pub crawl earlier in the day. A week later, he took ecstasy tablets brought on credit from a friend into a music festival in Newcastle. He was described by numerous friends as being 'off his head' at the concert, the coroner noted. The inquest also heard how he owed money and borrowed $1,200 from his mother and stepfather to repay a drug debt three days before he disappeared. The inquest findings were scathing of NSW Police in their initial handling of Mr Barnes' disappearance. The court heard that a review of the police response found that a formal risk assessment was not completed at the start of the search and that a multi-agency search should have occurred days before it did. Aerial resources weren't deployed until eight days into the search. 'The SOPs that existed in 2016 required a risk assessment to be conducted and recorded. A risk assessment form was provided as a guide,' the coroner said. 'There is no record of that being done either at the time Zac was reported missing or as the investigation progressed. 'It is unfortunate that the prescribed risk assessments were not completed when they should have been.' Magistrate Forbes also ruled that investigators did not fully comply with Missing Persons Standard Operating Procedures. 'The evidence suggests that there was not strict compliance with the Missing Persons SOPs in force at the time of Zac's disappearance and better decisions could have been made,' she said. 'This probably hampered the investigation in the very early stages when it was most critical to obtain timely evidence.' A strike task force focused on Mr Barnes' disappearance is now underway and investigating new lines of inquiry. The coroner also noted that newer police systems in place will ensure the prescribed steps regarding missing persons are now taken in a timely manner. A Missing Persons Registry has also since been established. The coroner acknowledged the traumatic toll on Mr Barnes' mother Karen Gudelj, his stepfather Michael, three brothers and two younger sisters. His younger brother Liam, then aged 19, took his own life four years after Mr Barnes vanished. 'Zac's disappearance and apparent death is a tragedy, and his family has clearly been deeply affected by his disappearance from their lives and the unanswered questions surrounding his disappearance, Magistrate Forbes said. 'I acknowledge the painful and persistent uncertainty felt by them in not knowing what happened to Zac and the anguish around not being able to give Zac a proper funeral, burial and farewell. 'I hope that the inquest has assisted by bringing them some measure of closure, and I hope that in the future the necessary evidence can be uncovered to provide more information about what happened to Zac.' The inquest findings confirmed what Mr Barnes' mother has suspected all along. 'It is a bittersweet moment — relief mixed with the weight of what we've always known in our hearts,' Ms Gudelj posted online 'As a family, we never believed the early assumptions — that Zac had simply run away or taken his own life. That was never our truth, and we are grateful it is finally being acknowledged. 'Our faith in the system has been renewed, thanks to some extraordinary people who stood by us.' She believes the family is another day closer to finding justice for Zac. 'It may not come tomorrow, but we truly believe it will come,' Ms Gudelj said. 'And that belief brings us peace — knowing Zac has not been forgotten, and that the dedicated homicide detectives will keep fighting for the answers we so desperately seek.' The family plan to hold a memorial on the anniversary of Mr Barnes' disappearance in November.
BreakingNews.ie
18-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man jailed for transporting almost €50,000 of cannabis into Ireland
An English man who transported almost €50,000 of cannabis into Ireland to pay off a drug debt has been given a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Alexander Kay (26) initially told gardaí he smoked cannabis and was bringing it home from Thailand as it was cheaper to buy there, but later admitted it was not for his own use. Advertisement Kay of Jupiter Grove, Wigan, United Kingdom, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the importation of cannabis at Dublin Airport on November 21st 2024. He has no previous convictions. Garda Noel McBrearty told Kieran Kelly BL, prosecuting, that customs officers found an anomaly in Kay's baggage as he was transiting through Dublin from Abu Dhabi, on his return from Thailand. Gda McBrearty said cannabis valued at just under €50,000 was found in Kay's luggage. Advertisement Michael Hourican SC, defending, said the reality was that his client was bringing the drugs back to clear a drug debt. He asked the court to take into account his early guilty plea and co-operation in relation to his own role. He said he committed the offence at the behest of others to whom he owed money. He outlined Kay's personal circumstances and told the court he had been studying engineering at Salford University but took a study break to travel. He was also involved in sport to a significant extent, including a trial with a football club. Mr Hourican handed in several testimonials. Advertisement Ireland Ireland had the 8th most overcrowded prisons in Eu... Read More Mr Hourican said his client had a good start in life but fell into recreational drug use and alcohol misuse against the backdrop of his parents' marriage breakup. He said Kay had been on a good path, but stumbled and suggested that when this case is dealt with, he will resume a positive path. Counsel said Kay has been using his time in custody well, but will serve his time away from home. Judge Martin Nolan set a headline sentence of five years but imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence, noting there was substantial mitigation in the case.
Irish Times
17-06-2025
- Irish Times
Boy (16) with drug debt and at risk of death ‘very aggrieved' about detention in secure care, court hears
A teenage boy said to be 'at real risk of death' but 'very aggrieved' at being detained in secure care for his own safety, assaulted two staff members on admission to the unit, the High Court heard on Tuesday. The 16-year-old, who had amassed a €1,000 drug-debt and was told 'war' would be declared if he did not pay, was taken by gardaí to secure care, known as 'special care', on June 5th on foot of a short-term High Court order. The court had heard the boy, who has been in State care since 2023, had not been staying in his placement and was 'effectively' residing with his father. Six shots were fired at two of his friends as they left his father's house on a date in the spring. One was hit and not seriously injured, but the boy was the intended target, according to gardaí. READ MORE On Tuesday Mr Justice John Jordan heard the boy insisted he was not the shooting's intended target. He 'does not want to be in special care [and] doesn't believe he should be', the court heard. Barrister Paul Gunning, for Tusla , said things went 'badly' in the first days of the boy's admission. He assaulted two staff members, fracturing the nose of one and biting another. 'It has been a difficult start to this child's time in special care. He did apologise afterwards. He does seem very aggrieved to be in special care,' said Mr Gunning, who sought an order for the boy to be detained in special care for a further three months. Children at risk of serious harm can be detained for their safety on foot of a High Court order in one of the State's special care units. The court heard the boy's parents did not believe their son needed special care. [ Tusla's failure to provide secure care beds for children at risk an 'affront to rule of law', judge says Opens in new window ] Counsel for his mother, who is in hospital for a recurring condition, said she believes her son was 'managing far better in recent times'. He was attending school every Friday, applying for jobs and was hopeful of a position in a discount retailer. The boy calls her daily from his unit and 'is quite disconsolate about his plight', particularly as he is unable to visit her in hospital, the court heard. 'She does appreciate that the social work department have their concerns', but she feels her son 'has done absolutely nothing wrong and he shouldn't be punished by being confined in special care'. She would like him to be there 'for the shortest possible time', the court heard. 'He feels safe in his father's house and would like to go home,' the court heard. The boy's father said he believes the shooting was a case of mistaken identity and the guards were mistaken. The boy's guardian ad litem – an independent person appointed by the court to be the voice of the child – supported Tusla's application for a three-month order. [ Replace secure special care units with one 'centre of excellence', Tusla told Opens in new window ] Granting the order, Mr Justice Jordan said it was 'appropriate'. 'I am not quite sure what the explanation for the different views concerning the threats to [the boy] are, and I expect this issue will be explored and developed between now and the first statutory review [on July 10th] at which stage the views of the Garda Síochána can be obtained.' It is 'likely' there was 'considerable pressure' on the boy and his parents 'if there is a drug debt. Or it may transpire to be, as suggested by [the boy] ... a case of mistaken identity or a misunderstanding. I do wonder about that,' the judge said.
BBC News
16-06-2025
- BBC News
Man jailed for agreeing to accept drugs via post on Isle of Man
A man who had cocaine and cannabis sent through the post to him when he was "sofa surfing" at a friend's house has been jailed for 10 package meant for Lewis Kelly was intercepted at the postal sorting office in Braddan on 14 Courthouse was told Kelly had agreed to accept the package, which contained cannabis with a street value of more than £50,000 and cannabis worth nearly £40,000, to pay off part of his own drug 25-year-old had also been caught with 58 wraps of cannabis at his partner's home two days earlier. The cannabis wraps, worth about £1,000, were found along with a set of scales and two grinders at the home of his partner on 12 October after police executed a warrant, the court was told.A fingerprint on one of the wraps matched to days later, the parcel, sent from Manchester and addressed to Louis Oakey at an address on Bircham Avenue in Ramsey, was intercepted by postal staff. 'Duped' Police visited the house and the man living there was arrested after searches were found on his phone relating to the delivery of packages from the UK to the the social security division confirmed Kelly also went be the name Oakey and used it when claiming disability living handed himself into police and admitted to making searches on the other man's mobile phone, claiming he had sold his pleaded guilty to the importation of cocaine, the importation of cannabis, and possession of cannabis with intent to defence advocate said he had a accrued a drug debt of between £15,000 and £20,000 and had thought the package would only contain Graeme Cook said the fact the other man had initially been arrested for the offences was an aggravating deemster said Kelly may have been "duped" by those sending the drugs to the island, but that did not induce "any sympathy from me".He said the island was trying to rid itself of drugs so long sentences were warranted. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
