Gemma O’Doherty restrained over harassment of Edel Campbell

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

The High Court granted orders restraining Gemma O’Doherty from harassing Edel Campbell on 23 June 2023. Mr Justice Conor Dignam made the orders in Campbell’s action concerning the alleged use of an image of her late son, Diego Gilsenan.

The orders also restrain O’Doherty from publishing images of Campbell or her son, or personal confidential material about them, and from encouraging or inciting others to intimidate Campbell. They require her to remove their images from media she owns or operates.

Campbell’s son died by suicide. She claims O’Doherty used his image in an article that wrongly stated he died as a result of a Covid-19 vaccination. Campbell claims the repeated use of the image caused her emotional pain and harm.

O’Doherty was absent and was not represented at the hearing. In emails to Campbell’s lawyers given to the court, she rejected claims that she had done anything wrong. She said she was on holiday and had been given only two days’ notice of the application.

The judge said he was satisfied to hear the application in her absence because no objection to it proceeding had been made before the court. He made no final determination of Campbell’s claim. The injunctions remain in place pending the full hearing of the action.