Woman charged with making false complaints about people in Cork

A 43-year-old woman has been charged over false complaints being made against people in Cork city over a five-year period.

Sonya Egan of The Lawn, Lios Cara, Killeens, Co Cork, was brought before the vacation sitting of Cork District Court on Monday and charged with a total of 14 offences in relation to the nine people.

Ms Egan was charged with eight counts of making false statements and six counts of making false reports against the six men and three women on various dates between 2016 and 2021.

The alleged false statements were made to gardaí at the Bridewell Garda stations in Dublin and Cork, and at Mayfield, Watercourse Road and Anglesea Street Garda stations, all in Cork.

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The alleged offences are all contrary to section 12 of the Criminal Law Act 1979 which carries a maximum penalty of five years if a person is convicted on indictment at Circuit Court level.

Det Sgt James Buckley of Anglesea Street Garda station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told how he arrested Ms Egan at Anglesea Street at 11.10am and charged her with the offences.

He said that Ms Egan made no reply to any of the 14 charges when they were put to her after caution, and he said that gardaí had no objection to Ms Egan being released on bail with conditions.

These conditions included that she would have no contact directly or indirectly with any of the nine complainants who were named in the 14 offences with which she had been charged.

The conditions also included that she would stay off all social media under her own name and any other person’s name and that she would make no public mention of any of the nine complainants.

Det Sgt Buckley said that gardaí were also seeking an undertaking from Ms Egan that she would not discuss the complainants with any other person by email or otherwise, save with her lawyers.

And he said gardaí were also seeking an undertaking from Ms Egan that she would have no contact with any member of the Garda investigation team involved in investigating the offences.

Ms Egan’s solicitor, Clodagh McCarthy, said her client was willing to abide by all the conditions and Ms Egan confirmed to Judge Treasa Kelly that she understood the conditions.

Sgt Gearoid Davis said that the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed trial by indictment at Circuit Court level and she was also consenting to Ms Egan being sent forward on a signed plea of guilty if she chose to do so.

Sgt Davis applied for a remand on bail until September 14th for service of the book of evidence and Judge Kelly remanded Ms Egan on her own bail of €300 to appear in court again on that date.

Ms McCarthy applied for free legal aid and Judge Kelly agreed and granted Ms Egan free legal aid in the name of solicitor, Frank Buttimer in accordance with Ms McCarthy’s request for free legal aid.