A former bank official who harassed model Glenda Gilson and her family has been been given a three-month suspended sentence and ordered to stay 100 yards from the victims.
Daniel Rooney (27), of Castleknock Cottages, Castleknock, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to harassment of the Gilson family by persistently communicating with Glenda Gilson and her parents Noel and Aileen Gilson by e-mail and telephone between November 12th, 2004, and March 21st, 2005.
Defence counsel Luigi Rea said Rooney was underachieving at that time in his life and he had became "jealous and obsessed" about Ms Gilson's progress in her modelling career. He had used his computer skills to "obtain telephone numbers he should not have".
Judge Bryan McMahon said one should not underestimate the "sinister impact these calls from an unknown quarter" can have on their victims but said he would take the mitigating factors into account and treat this as an "aberration". He said this case was a "a feature of modern technology and mobile phones and the access to people on these phones" and that it was "indicative of the personal data of all citizens" which corporations hold.
Garda Deirdre Conway told Paul Carroll, prosecuting, that there had been 49 calls to the family over the five-month period. She said the harassment began on November 12th, 2004, when Ms Gilson's model agency, Assets, received a call and an e-mail purporting to be from a friend.
It soon became evident that the caller was using a false name as he started shouting abuse about Ms Gilson and her career. Ms Gilson later received abusive calls on the landline at her parents' home and also on her mobile. Many of the calls made to Ms Gilson's home were answered by her parents.
Mr Carroll said a victim impact statement on Ms Gilson said she had been caused fear and upset and Ms Gilson's parents felt anxious for their daughter while she was away.
Rooney became a suspect when Mr Gilson received a call from him on his mobile while abroad in March 2005. Rooney's number was no longer blocked and Mr Gilson was able to call him back. There were no further calls after that date.
Rooney was arrested on May 13th, 2005, and immediately admitted making the calls. He worked for AIB at the time and had been able to access the phone numbers through his work.
Mr Rea said his client offered a full apology to the Gilsons. He said there had been nothing of a sexual nature in the calls and Rooney did not physically accost or stalk any members of the family. He had subsequently lost his job in AIB and now works in a clothes shop.