13th time in prison for prolific offender

Sunday 31 October 2021

A 40-year-old has been handed his 13th custodial sentence after being found guilty of offering to supply three Class C drugs to others.

Ryan Hockey has been sentenced to 12 months in Guernsey Prison for being knowingly concerned in the offer to supply tramadol, gabapentin and temazepam.

Hockey was investigated on suspicion of offending. No drugs were found in his possession, however an analysis of his mobile phone revealed messages dated from 1 November to 4 December 2020 which "were indicative of offers to supply drugs to others".

Under investigation by police, Hockey, who has an extensive criminal record, said his phone was frequently used by other people. He denied that he had dealt any of his own prescription medication to others. He said that the messages about 'trams' could refer to many things, not necessarily tramadol. 

However. he pleaded guilty to offering to supply and told officers "let's have this dance one more time in Court, I really don't care".

If he did actually have drugs in his possession, Defence Advocate Sam Steel asked the Court whether his client would have been so forthcoming in giving access to his phone. 

Pictured: Hockey has been given an immediate sentence of imprisonment for the 13th time in his life. 

He said there was an arrangement that Hockey and another named person, who had been messaged on multiple occasions, could swap their medication in emergency situations, having received sign-off from a medical practitioner to do so. 

The explanation offered by Hockey for the other supply charges was that he was simply trying to retrieve money from drug users who owed him. 

"It was a ruse to lure debtors to his home with cash to have the money owed by them returned to him," offered Advocate Steel. He acknowledged in his closing that the Court may not believe that account of proceedings.

When the Jurats returned from a lengthy deliberation, Royal Court Judge Catherine Fooks expressed their disbelief at the "incredible explanation".

"It is an attempt to reduce the seriousness of your offending. The Court does not believe that explanation.

"The Court is not impressed by the lies you told in interview and you have clearly not abandoned your ties with the drug community."

Advocate Steel asked the Court to consider that his client has been to prison 12 times already: "I urge you to try something new, something that hasn't been tried before".

Judge Fooks, in reply, said that immediate custody "was the only appropriate sentence". 

The Court imposed one year sentences for each of the three counts, to run concurrently with each other, meaning Hockey was sentenced to one year imprisonment