Court makes orders preventing Gemma O'Doherty from harassing mum of teen who died by suicide

A mother from Kingscourt, County Cavan, has secured High Court injunctions restraining former journalist Gemma O'Doherty from harassing her following the death of her teenage son. Mr Justice Conor Dignam granted the orders on Friday in favour of Edel Campbell, who alleged that Ms O'Doherty unlawfully published an image of her late son in an article linking unexplained deaths to Covid-19 vaccination. The injunctions prohibit Ms O'Doherty from harassing Ms Campbell, publishing photographs of her or her son without consent, or encouraging others to intimidate the plaintiff. Ms O'Doherty has been ordered to remove any such material from media she owns or operates. The judge found that Ms Campbell had established a strong case of harassment, having reviewed evidence of allegedly harassing online comments and public lectures attributed to Ms O'Doherty. Ms O'Doherty was not represented at the hearing. The orders remain in effect pending the full hearing of Ms Campbell's action against Ms O'Doherty, who trades as The Irish Light. The case has implications beyond the initial injunction, as subsequent court filings indicate Ms Campbell has sought additional orders to identify operators of Twitter accounts allegedly in breach of the injunction, and Ms O'Doherty has since faced allegations of contempt of court relating to statements made after the orders were granted. The matter has raised questions about the balance between free expression and the protection of individuals from harassment and the unauthorised use of images of deceased persons.