A man has been jailed for three years for harassing his then-girlfriend and threatening to share intimate images of her.<\/p>\n
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court<\/a> heard that the man was 47 and the woman was 20 when they started a relationship after meeting on a dating website during the summer of 2019.<\/p>\n He later threatened to send intimate images to her parents and made threats to send the photos and other items, including a sex toy, to the woman\u2019s younger brother. He also persistently emailed the woman and made multiple calls to her workplace.<\/p>\n The man, now aged 52 and with addresses in Co Dublin<\/a> and Co Wicklow<\/a>, pleaded guilty to harassment on dates between June 2020 and July 2021. He also pleaded guilty to threatening to distribute or publish an intimate image of the injured party on a date in July 2021. He cannot be named to protect the woman\u2019s right to anonymity.<\/p>\n Prosecuting barrister Emer N\u00ed Ch\u00faag\u00e1in read the woman\u2019s victim impact statement to the court, in which she said the man took sexual photos of her without her consent. She said she asked him to delete them when she found out, but he said that if she did not do what he wanted, he would send them to her relatives and boss.<\/p>\n The woman said the man\u2019s constant calls to her workplace were disruptive and got her into trouble, resulting in the loss of her job. She described feeling fear, anxiety and stress as result of his actions.<\/p>\n The investigating garda<\/a> told Judge Elma Sheahan that the woman is now living abroad and feels too scared to come back, even to visit her family.<\/p>\n The judge said it was \u201cstriking\u201d that in the emails he sent to the woman, the man appeared to \u201cenjoy toying with the complainant\u2019s emotions by issuing threats of what he would do if she did not comply with his demands\u201d.<\/p>\n She said the man\u2019s offending \u201cmust be viewed in the context of the age disparity\u201d, which was aggravating, along with the effects on the woman and the \u201crepeated interference\u201d with her work and home life.<\/p>\n