Derry woman who lost daughter to drugs welcomes sentencing review promise

Justice Minister “in full agreement” with campaigner that dealing shouldn’t be considered “victimless crime”

A Derry woman who lost her daughter to drugs has welcomed plans to review the sentences given to dealers in Northern Ireland.

Justice Minister Naomi Long has said she is “in full agreement” that dealing drugs should not be considered a “victimless crime”, and has now promised include those concerns in a review of “sentencing policy issues” in the coming weeks.

Pauline Duddy has been campaigning for tougher sentencing since her 21-year-old daughter Jasmin died in February last year, after taking pregabalin and other substances. The Derry mum met Naomi Long in May last year to set out her concerns around sentencing.

READ MORE: Mum of Derry drug death woman takes campaign for tougher sentencing to NI judiciaryREAD MORE: Appointment letters for addiction treatment arriving ‘after they’re already dead’, says campaigner

One of the concerns she raised with the Minister is the way drug dealers are dealt with in court cases. Pauline told Belfast Live that drug dealing offences are considered offences “crimes against the state” without a victim.

The Minister has now told Ms Duddy, in an email which has been seen by Belfast Live, that she agrees with the campaigner that dealing drugs should not be considered a “victimless crime” by the courts.

In her email, Ms Long said: “I am in full agreement with you that the dealing of illegal drugs is not a victimless crime and am committed to explore potential ways in which this can be reflected as part of the sentencing process in relevant cases.

“My department is planning a review of further sentencing policy issues, which will include sentencing for drug offences. I plan to launch this review before the end of 2025.”

She added: “I appreciate you want to see change happen quickly, but as previously explained, consideration of a policy change of this nature requires significant work which takes time. Please be assured of my continued commitment to addressing this issue.”

Pauline Duddy said: “It’s a crime against the state, it’s a ‘Rex crime’, you know, they hold the stance that there’s no specific victim. But of course there are victims. There are people dying. People who ar suffering with addiction are victims. The whole families are victims of drug supply because the whole family is brought in by the ripple effect.”

She continued: “”It can’t remain victimless. Naomi Long agreed with us when we were up with her in May ’24, that it can’t remain victimless. She’s confirmed that again now in writing. We had asked for an aggravating factor to be applied for the sale to vulnerable people, which includes a whole lot of different categories – kids at school, people suffering with their mental health, or people suffering with addiction.”

On sentencing, she added: “Right now there is no deterrent.”

The Derry campaigner continued: “I am happy that somebody up there [at Stormont ] appears to be listening. The 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act is outdated and it should have been looked at long ago.

“This is a first step towards reform of sentencing in Northern Ireland and it is a welcome step. I would be hoping to see progress as quickly as possible. We’ve been fighting for this for two years and in just that time there have already been too many drug related deaths.”

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