Brendan Doolin appeal dismissed over online harassment

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Court of Appeal dismissed Brendan Doolin’s appeal against his sentence for online harassment. Ms Justice Kennedy delivered the judgment on 21 July 2020.

Doolin pleaded guilty to six counts of harassment. He received five years’ imprisonment on each count, with the final two years suspended on terms and the sentences to run concurrently.

The offences involved six women over five years. The judgment said Doolin sent hundreds of emails from accounts that did not identify him, as well as tweets and online comments. The messages continued despite repeated requests to stop and left the complainants feeling threatened and afraid.

Doolin argued that the sentence was excessive and did not adequately reflect his mitigation. He accepted that the communications were persistent but argued that their content was not at the upper end of the harassment scale. The prosecution submitted that this overlooked the fact that some complainants had been placed in fear of physical harm.

The sentencing judge’s mitigation included Doolin’s guilty plea, cooperation with gardaí, lack of previous convictions, remorse and personal circumstances. The Court of Appeal found no error of principle and was satisfied that the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offending. It said the conditions were designed to encourage rehabilitation and help his reintegration into society.