AN ADDICTION counsellor who forged prescriptions in order to help addicts “get clean” so they could be admitted to the drug treatment centre he ran, was jailed for six months yesterday.
Liam Rooney (26), of the St James’s Camino Residential Centre, Enfield, Co Meath, appeared before Judge Conal Gibbons at a special sitting of Letterkenny District Court.
He was charged with the possession of prescription drugs with the intent of sale or supply and with forging prescriptions. He is a native of Blanchardstown, Dublin.
Garda Olga Tracey of Claremorris Garda station told the court she arrested Rooney after receiving a call from Flynn’s Pharmacy, Claremorris, Co Mayo.
Following a search of his hotel room, they discovered 240 painkiller tablets worth more than €600 as well as 12 false prescriptions.
Defending solicitor Patsy Gallagher told the court his client was a qualified addiction counsellor who helped drug addicts detox “outside of office hours”.
He explained that addicts from Dublin came to Rooney as they could not get treatment and they knew he could help them “get clean”. Mr Gallagher told the court that Rooney was an “angel of mercy” who paid for the drugs with his own money and gave them to the addicts for free.
“The HSE will not treat the addicts unless they detox. They are given no assistance except for the help they get from my client. This is a very unfortunate situation,” Mr Gallagher said. He added that Rooney was the assistant director and manager of the charity-run Camino Residential Centre, which was founded in 1997 by Fr Denis Laverty.
Judge Gibbons commended Rooney for being “honest and frank”.
However, he added: “The fact that you have previous convictions for the same offence makes this matter extraordinary and even more serious.
“Just because you are well intentioned does not mean you are doing no harm. You could have killed someone because of the best of your intentions.”
Judge Gibbons said the only way he could stop Rooney was to “deprive him of his livelihood” by sending him to prison.
“I do not like putting people in prison; however, I have no choice in this matter.”