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TWO friends of the late model Katy French were today handed suspended sentences for a drug offence related to the weekend the glamorous blonde collapsed at their home.
Former couple Kieron Ducie (43) and Ann Corcoran (32) appeared at Trim Circuit Court for Judge Michael O’Shea’s ruling on their sentence.
They had previously pleaded guilty to procuring another man - Russell Memery - to possess cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply at an unknown location between 6pm on Saturday, December 1, 2007, and 10am the following day.
Mr Ducie received a two-and-a-half year sentence suspended on a bond of good behaviour for three years.
Ms Corcoran received a two-year sentence suspended on a bond of good behaviour for two years.
Judge O'Shea said it would be "inhuman" of him if he did not express his sentiments for the unfortunate death of Ms French and the effects on her family.
Ms French had just celebrated her 24th birthday days prior to her collapse at the couple’s house at Lambertstown Manor, Kilmessan, Co Meath.
Her parents John and Janet and sister Jill maintained a bedside vigil for four days as the model lay critically ill in on a life support machine at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan.
A postmortem showed she suffered brain damage and traces of cocaine were found in her system.
Ms French’s mother and sister Jill attended the sentencing hearing in Trim.
Ducie still lives at Lambertstown Manor in Kilmessan; while Corcoran has an address at Tolka Road, Clonliffe Road, Dublin.
In 2010, Russell Memery, who was then 25 and had been living at Yellow Clay Manor, Navan, became the first person charged in connection with her death.
Memery was given a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence. He had pleaded guilty to having conspired to possess cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply to another between 11pm on December 1, 2007 and 3am the following day.
The court heard that Memery received €200 for the drugs.
Outside the courthouse, Ms French's mother Janet, father John and sister Jill said this was the first time they had spoken out about the charges.
Her mother said they had to "listen to what positive angels" both Mr Ducie and Ms Corcoran were, while there was "not one good word about Katy except from the judge".
"We are saddened and really angry that despite gardai's efforts to get justice, the second charge of endangerment to Katy's life has not been proceeded with," her mother Janet said.
"We are left now without a full picture of what happened and many questions still need to be answered."
Her father John said: "She was my daughter, I love her."
Her sister Jill said they have had "five years of imagining" what life would have been like with Katy still in their lives.
"I think I said before she was the light of my life, she was the light of our lives she was fun," her mother said.
"She was a part of every single one of us so we have all been living without a part of ourselves," her sister said.
