Louth woman jailed for witness intimidation in case of alleged domestic assault

By Francis Carroll, The Drogheda Independent

"An attack on the Criminal Justice system," is how a judge has described a woman's attempt to have another female withdraw her statement of complaint in a case of alleged domestic abuse.

Judge Dara Hayes jailed Tanya Reilly (37) for nine months when she appeared before Dundalk Circuit Court for sentencing.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to witness intimidation. She received a two-and-a-half year sentence, the final 21 months suspended.

The court heard that she has previous convictions but turned her life around.

Evidence was heard previously that on March 6, 2022, Ms Reilly, of Farndreg Estate, Cox’s Demesne, Dundalk at the time, approached the woman on behalf of a man accused of assaulting her with an offer of €5,000 to withdraw her statement.

Following the defendant's arrest on March 22, she accepted that she called to the complainant, acting as a messenger for a man she was related to through marriage. She was put under pressure to speak to the woman.

Gardaí said that the victim in this case bore her no ill will.

Ms Reilly, a carer for her daughter, has 10 previous convictions, including for affray and theft.

In a report, she accepted that she had no business getting involved. It was done through fear.

She was assessed at the lower end of moderate risk of reoffending.

Born in Drogheda, the defendant moved to Dundalk at a young age. Her mother was deceased.

She had been in an abusive relationship and returned to education.

The defendant had struggled with addiction and her mental health before self-referring to Turas Counselling Service. She was drug-free and had turned her life around, it was reported.

Judge Hayes said that “generic” references in front of him appeared unaware of her offending, while one was anonymous.

He continued that this was serious offending, an attack on the Criminal Justice system. It was aggravated by seeking an alleged victim of a domestic assault to withdraw her complaint.

There had been a guilty plea on a trial date. There was much mitigation.