Stephen Spenneberg jailed for harassing Irish woman

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

Stephen Spenneberg was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 3 May 2023 to two years in prison for harassing a woman, with the final 12 months suspended for three years. The proceedings were reported on 3 May 2023.

Spenneberg, 55, of Oakshire Drive, Los Angeles, California, had been sent forward from the District Court for harassment on dates between 10 May 2020 and 3 January 2023. He pleaded guilty.

Judge Orla Crowe described the harassment as “unwanted, unwarranted, persistent and repeated” and said it had a profound impact on the woman. The court heard that she had ended a brief relationship with Spenneberg after returning to Ireland, but he continued to contact her. The judge said he persisted despite being told repeatedly by third parties, including gardaí and Kentucky police, to stop.

Spenneberg came to Ireland on 31 December 2022 and went to a commercial premises connected with the woman’s family in Munster, where he asked about her and spoke to her parents. He was arrested on 7 January 2023. He told gardaí he wanted to hear from the woman herself that she did not want further contact and said he would have stopped if she had told him directly.

Defence counsel Kieran Kelly said Spenneberg regretted his actions, understood there was no prospect of a relationship and had no malicious intent. Garda Shauna Ferncombe disagreed with Kelly’s suggestion that Spenneberg was motivated by a genuine belief that there might be something worth rekindling.

Judge Crowe reduced a three-year headline sentence to two years, taking account of factors including the guilty plea and custody far from home. The sentence was backdated to 7 January 2023. Spenneberg was permanently ordered to stay away from the woman and have no direct or indirect contact with her by any means. He was also ordered to stay away from her family, friends, co-workers and professional cohort, and not to publish or upload photos or details about her, including identifying details.