Northern Ireland

Man (22) escapes jail after he tried to sell drugs in a nightclub

 Conan Magee leaves Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday. Picture by Mark Jamieson
 Conan Magee leaves Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday. Picture by Mark Jamieson  Conan Magee leaves Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday. Picture by Mark Jamieson

A 22-YEAR-OLD man caught with drugs inside a Portrush nightclub was snared when he attempted to sell an an ecstasy tablet to a reveller who reported him to door staff, a court has heard.

Conan Magee (22), of Antrim Road, Glengormley, escaped jail after he appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Monday for sentencing on charges of possessing ecstasy with intent to supply as well as possession of the Class A drug and possession of the Class B drug Methylethcathinone.

A prosecutor said the offences came to light on March 15, 2014, at Lush! nightclub at Kelly's in Portrush, Co Antrim, when a patron alerted door staff and pointed out Magee saying the defendant had asked them if they wanted to buy ecstasy.

Door staff found Magee had 20 tablets marked with a star and a bag of white powder. He also had £357 in his possession and a mobile phone.

Magee initially tried to claim to police the drugs were planted on him and said the white powder was 'meth' which he had bought it for £40 from a person in the nightclub.

He said he won the money in a bet.

Defence barrister Chris Sherrard said Magee was selling the tablets and powder to pay off a debt he had with drug dealers as a result of his own habit.

District Judge Liam McNally said the defendant had "crossed the line" and said he had made it clear before that anyone supplying drugs in nightclubs in the north coast area ran the risk of being sent to prison.

However, he said he would defer sentence for a year and in the meantime he expected Magee to voluntarily engage with probation.

He said if the defendant stays out of trouble he would not send him to prison but if there is any further offending he will be starting off with four months behind bars.