Drug offender has year added to jail term for new charge

Newtownards man Mervyn Gilfillan had skipped bail and was “unlawfully at large” when he was caught with 114 grammes of the class A drug last summer.

Gilfillan, who has a criminal record consisting of 79 previous convictions and who is from Lisbane Road, appeared at Craigavon Crown Court earlier this year and was jailed for drugs offences.

He was back in court on Wednesday where he admitted a string of further charges committed last July, and was handed a 12-month sentence.

After hearing that Gilfillan is due to be released from prison in May 2018 for the sentence imposed in Craigavon, Judge David McFarland said the new 12-month sentence – divided between six months in custody and six months on licence – will take effect from May 2018.

Regarding last summer’s offending, Belfast Crown Court heard that Gilfillan was spotted outside a Centra on the Stranmillis Road on July 4 last year.

When he was approached and spoken to by police, he struggled with an officer. He was searched and the cocaine was found, along with several smaller bags of cocaine and three pink ecstasy tablets.

He was arrested for drugs offences, and when an address he was linked with was later searched, further drugs including nine Diazepam tablets and herbal cannabis were located, along with £4,500 and two sets of scales.

Whilst in custody, he admitted a series of offences including possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possessing cannabis and resisting arrest.

Defence barrister Ian Turkington said that while in custody, Gilfillan has undertaken a programme to help with his addiction, and has passed several drugs tests.