A COUNTY Waterford woman whose son died following a party in her house where “cocaine was freely available”, has been found not guilty of allowing cocaine to be handed out at the party.
Betty Grey (48) was acquitted of permitting the sale, supply or distribution of cocaine in her house after the judge ruled it would be “unsafe” to convict her on the evidence before the court.
Ms Grey’s son John (23), and student Kevin Doyle (21), died in hospital after they collapsed and fell into a coma at the party in the early hours of November 25th, 2007.
The trial had heard partygoers were “shoving cocaine down their throats” and that people started having “fits” and began “dropping to the ground” before ambulances were called to the party sometime after 4.30am.
Ms Grey (48), of Ballybeg Square, Waterford, told gardaí she never saw “any substance” that partygoers were taking in her house on the night in question.
Five people, including Mr Doyle and Mr Grey, were rushed to Waterford Regional Hospital and a further 11 partygoers were admitted to A&E for medical examination following the party.
The trial at Carlow Circuit Court ended after Judge Thomas Teehan issued his direction to the jury that they should find Ms Grey not guilty.
Judge Teehan gave his direction following an application by defence counsel Paul Greene for the case to be withdrawn from the jury on the basis that “no safe conviction could occur here”.
The judge told the jury he had regard to the evidence of two prosecution witnesses who said they were “of the view that if Ms Grey had known drugs were being distributed in her house, she would have strongly objected”.
Judge Teehan also made reference to the evidence of prosecution witness Orla O’Connor, who told the court she had “lied” to gardaí in a statement about cocaine being available in a bag on the kitchen table. Ms O’Connor told the court that she and seven other people had made a plan to say the drugs were on the table to avoid getting themselves or anyone else into trouble.
Ms O’Connor said all the drugs were done “secretively” in the bedroom and that “they [the drugs] were kept away from the kitchen and the adults at the party”.
The trial had heard Ms Grey became abusive to gardaí when they called to her house after 5.30am after being requested by ambulance crews.
Ms Grey gave an undertaking to the court yesterday to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for five years after the judge raised this issue with her counsel.