Athlone resident gets suspended sentence for online threat to kill Taoiseach

An Athlone resident who admitted he acted like "a keyboard warrior" when he sent a message threatening to kill Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to stay off social media for two years.

At Athlone District Court today (Wednesday), Cory O'Connor (32), was sentenced after pleading guilty last month to a charge of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the Fianna Fáil leader.

The threat was made in a message which the defendant sent from his own Facebook account to that of Mr Martin on October 22 last.

Sergeant Sandra Keane told the court it was approximately 4pm on the date in question when O’Connor sent the message from his own private Facebook messenger during which he vowed to cause harm to Mr Martin and also to the Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris.

Sergeant Keane said that, in the message, the Athlone resident said he would see Mr Martin soon in order to "put a f*****g knife" in his neck "along with that f*****g p***k Harris and along with his wife and children".

The defendant then told the Taoiseach to "find me you p***k, I’d love to see your face".

Defence solicitor Mark Cooney handed Judge Vincent Deane a letter of apology on the defendant's behalf, parts of which the judge read out.

In the letter, the father of three said his actions were like those of a "keyboard warrior" and that he hadn't thought about how receiving such a message online would make someone feel.

Mr Cooney said that, since the defendant's initial appearance in court last month, Mr O'Connor had effectively become a "pariah".

"It was on the national news, he has lost his job, everything has gone," said the solicitor. Mr Cooney added that his client accepted attacking a public figure in the way that he had was "vile" and "unacceptable".

Judge Deane noted Mr O'Connor’s expression of remorse, but said messages of the kind he had sent were "upsetting and frightening" for their recipients.

The judge also said these kinds of online attacks can have the effect of "putting people off taking part in public life".

Judge Deane sentenced Mr O’Connor to six months in prison, which he suspended for a period of two years.

The 32-year-old was also ordered to stay off all social media for the duration of his suspended prison term.