Caught in possession of cocaine and cannabis
A young man with schizophrenia has been handed a suspended sentence for drug possession offences.
22-year-old Daniel Luke Maguire, of Glen Road in Laxey, appeared before Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes at Douglas courthouse yesterday.
He'd been caught with £30-worth of cocaine and about £90-worth of cannabis in November last year.
Maguire was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and must pay prosecution costs of £125.
A report from the mental health service said being sent to prison would be detrimental to Maguire's mental health, particularly as he was now engaging with the service and was determined to stop using illegal drugs.
He had breached a community service order by possessing cocaine in 2016, prompting Mrs Hughes to ask why he should be given another chance.
A mental health professional present in court told Mrs Hughes that had happened not long after Maguire's father had committed suicide.
She said he had used the drug to help deal with it, adding people with schizophrenia also tended to use certain substances to try and dampen their symptoms.
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