Man admits sending threatening texts telling neighbour she would be ‘ostracised by the community’
The Wicklow PeopleA man who sent a text message to a woman despite being subject to a court order prohibiting contact has pleaded guilty to breaching a civil restraining order
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at a sitting of Bray District Court to one count of breaching a civil restraining order.
Garda Richie Loakman stated that in October 2025, he received a complaint from the injured party and her husband about a dispute with a neighbour, before they were granted a civil restraining order by Judge David Kennedy.
He told the court that he served the order on the defendant and warned him of the consequences if it was breached.
Civil restraining orders are commonly granted by the District Court in neighbour disputes, harassment cases and other situations where a judge believes restrictions are necessary to prevent further conflict.
Such orders can prohibit a person from contacting another individual, attending certain locations or engaging in specified behaviour. Breaching a court order is a criminal offence and can result in prosecution
On October 18, 2025, the complainant was at home when she received a text message from the accused saying: “Hang your head in shame, you will regret your decision”, adding: “You will be ostracised by the community, you bitch”, which was deemed to be a breach of the order.
The court was told that Gda Loakman took a voluntary cautioned statement from the accused, where he admitted sending the message.
Sergeant Mick Dee informed the court that the accused has no previous convictions
Solicitor for the defence, Dermot Hickey, said that the parties were familiar with each other, adding that his client did not believe the messages were threatening.
In her victim impact statement, the complainant said that the accused is an intimidating man “who doesn’t take account of his actions”, before noting that the whole situation distracted her from finishing her master’s degree. She also stated that she now has CCTV cameras installed for the safety of herself and her family.
In mitigation, Mr Hickey said that the background to the situation was that an argument broke out in the family home, with the injured party giving the accused’s son “safe harbour in her home”, which caused the rift.
He added that the defendant was drunk at the time and no longer has his neighbour’s contact number.
Judge Fiona Brennan noted that the original order required the accused to remain away from and have no contact with the injured party and her husband.
Judge Brennan directed that the defendant enter a new bond to keep the peace and remain of good behaviour, with conditions including that he have no contact with the injured party or her husband, remain at least 10 metres away from them and immediately leave any location if they are present.
She said that if there are no further breaches, the matter will be dealt with under the Probation Act in lieu of a €400 fine. The matter was adjourned until June 2027.