Courts / Dublin / Report

'I fear for my personal safety around this man': Landlord jailed for 'campaign of terror' against former tenant

Date
2022-06-02

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A Mayo native has been sentenced to two years imprisonment, with sixteen months suspended, following his conviction for a sustained harassment campaign against a former tenant at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Thomas Armstrong, aged forty-six, of Addison Avenue, Glasnevin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to harassment of the complainant between August 2016 and August 2018. The court heard that following a rental dispute, Armstrong engaged in a calculated course of intimidation involving multiple forms of abuse. These included making anonymous complaints to Dublin City Council regarding the complainant's parents' property, creating a fraudulent social media account in her name with photographs and false posts, and advertising tickets using her contact details. Judge Melanie Greally described the offending as an "extreme violation" of the complainant's privacy and peace of mind. Armstrong brought four thousand euros to court as a gesture of remorse, which was redirected to Pieta House after the complainant declined it. He was issued a forty-year non-contact order and a five-hundred-metre exclusion zone from the complainant's residence and workplace.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'I fear for my personal safety around this man': Landlord jailed for 'campaign of terror' against former tenant. Charges or matters: harassment of Lorna McAuley on dates between August 2016 and August 2018. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

August 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
August 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
June 15 Other
October 18, 2018 Incident
May 2019 Incident
2022-06-02 Publication

Why: She explained that a dispute arose when Armstrong said he wanted to move back into the apartment and claimed she owed him for rent and damage. CNI source report

Case subjects

Thomas Armstrong

Defendant

Charges: harassment of Lorna McAuley on dates between August 2016 and August 2018 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Greally set a headline sentence of 40 months but gave Armstrong credit for his guilty plea, his absence of previous or subsequent convictions, his expressions of remorse, his low risk of reoffending and the numerous excellent character references speaking highly of his personal qualities. There are evidently two sides to Mr Armstrong." She sentenced him to two years in prison with the final 16 months suspended.