Boxer whose life was taken over by drugs jailed for four months for obstructing a garda search

Joseph Duff (37) had been "weakened" by living on the streets and was now being beaten up by others who saw him as an "easy target", Dublin District Court heard.

Judge Treasa Kelly sentenced him after hearing he had 130 previous convictions.

Duff, of New Street Gardens, Dublin 8, admitted offences including obstructing a garda drugs search in the city centre last year.

The court heard that on one occasion, he threatened gardaí and used expletives when they found him in a suspicious transaction.

In another incident, he ran from gardaí who wanted to search him and had €15 of cannabis on him. Separately, he was found with two stolen mobile phones.

Duff was already serving another sentence.

Solicitor Michael Kelleher said Duff had been a promising boxer but "drugs took over". His physical condition weakened from living on the streets and he found himself an "easy target". Duff was not a violent man and his behaviour to gardaí showed "some hot-headedness", he added.