A man who harassed his former girlfriend and her family after their relationship broke up has been given an 11 month suspended jail sentence.
Michael Wright of Kilmahuddrick Road in Clondalkin, Dublin harassed and threatened to kill his former girlfriend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on dates in August 2006.
“I’m going to hurt you,” he wrote. “Get the gardaí.That won’t stop me from getting you. You’re going to be sorry. F*** you and the gardaí,” was one of a number of messages Inspector Jarlath Folan read to the court.
He further threatened her mother and father, and demanded items that he said he had bought. He threatened to come to the Westmeath town in which the family lived, but did not.
The year long relationship broke up in June of 2006 and Mr Wright “didn’t take it well,” his solicitor Louis Kiernan told the court.
Both had been in their teens at the time and Mr Wright, who is now 23, has moved on and has a good job.
“He is not the angry young man of years ago,” Mr Kiernan said.
As soon as he was interviewed by gardaí he admitted his guilt and ceased sending messages. The family are now satisfied that he has no further contact with them.
Judge Neilan said he had “serious concerns” about Mr Wright’s threat to seriously injure or kill the girl and that Wright had “no great respect for the gardaí” or the family which he had regularly visited and stayed with while the couple were together.
Compensation wasn’t put forward, Mr Kiernan said, because the family simply wanted all contact to end.
Judge Neilan suspended the sentence for three years and imposed concurrent 11 month sentences for harassing each of the girl’s parents.
