Facebook ban for man who posted abusive remarks

A Tubbercurry man has been banned from Facebook for posting slanderous accusations and sexually derogatory comments about a girl and her family.

Judge Kevin Kilrane made the order on Jordan McEvoy, of Carrarea, Tubbercurry after hearing about the online abuse during McEvoy’s hearing on a Public Order charge.

The 20- year- old pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour towards shop assistant Ms Sarah O’Brien at Centra, Bellaghy, Charlestown on April 6th 2016.

Ms O’Brien gave evidence in court that she was working on a till that day when McEvoy came up to her, banged his hands on the counter, leaned over and shouted abuse at her.

She told Tubbercurry District Court last Wednesday that the defendant shouted “I know where you live, I know where your mother lives.” “I didn’t know what was going on, he was shouting in my face,” she said.

Ms O’Brien told Mr Morgan Coleman, defending, that McEvoy hadn’t come into the shop since but she had seen him around a few times.

Garda Karen Weymouth testified that she was “aware there is an issue between the O’Brien and McEvoy families.” The defendant has four previous convictions. McEvoy admitted in the witness box to calling Ms O’Brien “a b****” but said he never threatened her.

“She was very rude two days previously to my mother in the shop. She made my mother feel like a small person,” said McEvoy, adding that he “handled it very badly.”

“I apologise for using vulgar language but I have never threatened her,” he told Judge Kilrane.

Mr Coleman said his client suffered from mental health issues, is under the Mental Health Services and on medication.

He said that at the time he hadn’t been taking his regular dosage but had been taking it consistently ever since.

Garda Weymouth told Judge Kilrane that there were numerous posts put up under his name on Facebook, “slanderous accusations and sexually derogatory remarks about Sarah O’Brien’s mother such as ‘ Ha Ha, she should get her house burnt out’.”

Judge Kilrane said it was now becoming a bigger issue. “I’m going to judge his remorse on his subsequent actions. He’ll get mercy if he earns it,” he told Mr Coleman, who objected to the “fresh accusations” against McEvoy.

Ms O’Brien read out the long- since deleted posts because she had taken screenshots.

McEvoy admitted to putting up one of the abusive posts but said other people had access to his Facebook account.

Turning to Mr Coleman, Judge Kilrane asked why shouldn’t his client go to jail. “I put it up because I was very upset, I went about it the wrong way. I’m turning around my life in the last few months,” he told the judge.

“It must have been very recently he turned it around,” said Judge Kilrane. He ordered a Probation Report be carried out on McEvoy and remanded him on continuing bail to June 28th for sentencing.

As part of his bail conditions, McEvoy ( or any member of his family) must have no contact with Ms Sarah O’Brien or her family, including on Social Media. “If they do, you are going to be blamed and you’re going to jail. You are going to carry the can for it,” he warned McEvoy.

He was also ordered to close his Facebook account, not open up a new account or use any other account, and stay out of Charlestown.

“This man is very much at risk of imprisonment. This is a dangerous man who’s trading on his problems. I’ve been observing him and I don’t see any problem at all,” he said. He told Ms O’Brien to notify the Gardaí if McEvoy interfered with her “in any way.”