Vol. 566 No. 1
614 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a person (details supplied) who is serving a sentence of two years at the Curragh POD, and whose wife died four days prior to being sentenced, can be considered for compassionate leave or review of sentence in the circumstances. [11502/03]
The person referred to by the Deputy is serving a two year prison sentence for the possession of a controlled drug for the purpose of sale or supply and he is currently scheduled for release on 24 April 2004. The drug involved was a large quantity of heroin. While I have taken into consideration the particular compassionate circumstances associated with this case, as I am sure the court did when passing sentence, the fact remains that the person referred to is serving a sentence for a most serious offence of which he has a significant portion left to serve. I do not therefore believe that it is appropriate to grant temporary release at this stage. The Deputy can be assured, however, that his case will remain under review and that he will have the opportunity to make similar applications at a later date.
