Jarveys in court on harassment charges
RIVALRY that erupted when a new Killarney jarvey company was formed in 2010 led to a chain of emails and phone calls that sparked an extensive police investigation resulting in three jarveys appearing before the courts on harassment charges on Friday.
Michael Tangney (26), listed at 10B Muckross Close and Paul Tangney (40), 18 Muckross Close each deny a charge of harassing husband and wife Michael and Julie Sweetman by persistently communicating with them by phone and the Internet. Former employee Kevin Counihan (35), Apt 1, 30 High Street has pleaded guilty to the charge.
All appeared at Tralee District Court where details were presented of hundreds of emails and dozens of phone calls alleged to have been made to Michael and Julie Sweetman, 26 Dromhall Park, Killarney.
Mr Sweetman claimed that all parties had previously been friends but problems started in April 2010 after he became one of 15 jarveys who set up the Killarney Horse and Carriage Tours company.
He said that he began to receive phone calls between 3am and 5am with the caller hanging up and also received calls from businesses, including from a Dublin company asking how he would be pay for 100 televisions he had ordered and an Athlone hotel querying how he would pay for 50 bookings.
He eventually gave his company phone to colleague Michael Grady.
Mr Sweetman also referred to spam emails clogging his company’s new website, with around 250 emails received in just one week.
He said that the emails started with contact from religious, gardening and self help groups, as well as from ‘Pampers’, which the couple believe was a reference to the horse nappy controversy at the time. Mr Sweetman claimed his name was also submitted to dating websites with one stating that his ideal partner was another jarvey.
“There’s only one Sweetman in Killarney and when your name is up on a website what are people going to think? I think there are still pictures of me up there,” he said.
Julie Sweetman, who helped set up the company in an unofficial capacity, said that dating websites were answered by ladies in Killarney. “They were thinking that my husband was looking for fun and a good time and they were looking for fun as well,” she stated,
She said the emails became increasingly personal, culminating in the childless couple being signed up for adoption and fostering agencies in the US and Australia
“I can take a joke, for instance the nappies, but as for fostering and adoption, no,” she told the court.
The couple said that the emails and phone calls stopped as soon as they made a statement to Gardaí.
Acting for Paul Tangney, solicitor Dan O’Connor said Mr Sweetman had not personally opened any emails despite his name being on the charge, while solicitor Aidan O’Connell for Michael Tangney, said that only Ms Sweetman was privy to the emails as she had not shown the material to her husband.
Kevin Counihan a jarvey of 17 years who worked for Paul Tangney before leaving in October 2012, gave evidence that both Paul and Michael Tangney had been involved in sending emails. “It was the start of the new company and they didn’t want the company to operate,” he claimed, adding that Paul Tangney had come up with the idea of adoption, dating and gay websites as well as the Pampers site.
“One was on one computer and the other one was on another computer at their Muckross Road place,” he said. “They were just sending emails and talking about it, having the laugh and I was having the laugh with them but I didn’t send any of the emails.”
Mr Counihan admitted ringing Michael Sweetman’s company phone on 10 occasions. “We’d be across the street and just hang up,” he stated.
Mr Counihan said he realised his actions were wrong after he received counselling for alcohol addiction and he subsequently went to gardaí.
Solicitor Dan O’Connor queried whether Mr Counihan had a pang of conscience or simply had gotten into difficulties with his employer, stating that Mr Counihan was drinking heavily and owed €500 to Paul Tangney. Mr Counihan admitted that he had a grudge against the Tangney family.
All three were remanded on continuing bail to appear again in Kenmare District Court on May 1.