A court in Derry was told yesterday one of four men jointly charged with drug offences could not attend court for his preliminary inquiry hearing because he was currently on a deep sea fishing trawler off the coast of Australia.
Donegal-born fisherman Conal MacGrianna (22), Sandringham Drive, Derry, is charged with his co-defendants with possessing cannabis resin and possession with intent to supply on April 15th, 2010.
When District Judge Barney McElholm noticed only three of the defendants were present, Mr MacGrianna’s solicitor Donna McCauley said her client had contacted her two days previously using the trawler’s satellite phone to say he would not be able to attend court.
The judge said the defendant “has joined a fishing boat of his own volition when he knew this matter was coming up was wasting court time”. However, Judge McElholm said he was not going to issue a warrant for the defendant’s arrest because to do so “would only cause a stampede within the PSNI to execute it”.
The judge said the defendant should be told that when he returned to port in Australia on May 11th he should immediately board a flight and return to Derry for his hearing.