Judge insists on pre-sentence reports in cannabis possession case

A judge has ruled pre-sentence reports are required after considering the previous record of a Dromore man who admitted having cannabis.

Corey McKitterick of Wallace Park was detected with the drug on 2 November last year.

While a defending lawyer at Craigavon Magistrates Court urged District Judge Bernie Kelly to proceed with sentencing straightaway, she noted, “The defendant has two entries on his record for exactly the same thing.

"One is a conviction in October 2021 and this offence is the following month. There was also a caution in January 2020, for all the good that did.”

Ordering the pre-sentence report she added, “There are far too many counts building up.”

The defence drew attention to McKitterick’s comment to police in the latest incident in which he claimed to have had the cannabis since before October.

This had no impact and Judge Kelly stuck to her position, telling McKitterick to attend for sentencing on 22 June. She warned him, “If I don’t have a report the court will be looking at custody.”