Northern Ireland

Man (32) caught with 'high purity' MDMA jailed for 16 months

Owen Halsall (32) was jailed for 16 months after MDMA and herbal cannabis were found at his east Belfast home
Owen Halsall (32) was jailed for 16 months after MDMA and herbal cannabis were found at his east Belfast home Owen Halsall (32) was jailed for 16 months after MDMA and herbal cannabis were found at his east Belfast home

A man caught with "high purity" MDMA has been jailed after a judge spoke of the potential danger of the drug hitting the streets.

Owen Halsall (32) was handed a sentence of two years and eight months - half to be served in custody and half on licence - after MDMA powder, a form of the Class A drug ecstasy, was found during a search of his east Belfast home.

Belfast Crown Court heard that around 1.5kgs of the drug with a purity of 87 per cent was discovered in a wardrobe, along with 257 grams of herbal cannabis.

Despite calls by Halsall's barrister that the father-of-one be spared a prison term, Judge Miller said due to the amount and purity of the MDMA seized, a custodial sentence was "called for and justified".

A prosecuting barrister said on May 16 last year, police stopped a car driven by Halsall on the Castlereagh Road.

Officers noted that both he and his male passenger appeared nervous, and police found a small amount of herbal cannabis in the glovebox.

The passenger admitted possession of the drug, but when Halsall's apartment at Belmont Road was searched later that day, officers found MDMA, herbal cannabis and other items indicative of drug dealing including a set of scales and the cutting agent Benzocaine.

The Crown prosecutor said the cannabis was estimated to be worth between £2,600 and £5,300, and the MDMA between £45,000 and £60,000.

When Halsall was interviewed he handed police a pre-prepared statement which said the drugs were being stored by him for others, in return for cocaine to fund his own addiction. He then answered "no comment" to further questions.

However, the prosecutor rejected any suggestions made by Halsall that he was "vulnerable or being preyed upon".

A defence barrister pointed out that his client came before the court with a clear criminal record, and said since his arrest he has sought treatment for his addiction.

He told the court that Halsall started using drugs following the breakdown of a relationship in December 2015 when his life "started to spiral out of control".

Asking the judge to spare him jail, the lawyer said he was caring for his elderly father, worked in the family business and "is a very different person to the one involved in these offences over a year ago."

Judge Miller said he took into account Halsall's personal circumstances and the steps he had made to address his addiction, but also spoke of the potential danger had the high quality MDMA found its way onto the streets.

The judge also branded Halsall's claim that he provided nothing more than a storage facility for the drugs as "minimising his level of culpability".