The solicitor representing a bereaved mother allegedly harassed by far-right activist Gemma O’Doherty has had to increase security at his office due to threats against him and his staff.
Ciarán Mulholland of Mulholland Law is representing Edel Campbell who is suing Ms O’Doherty for repeatedly using her deceased child’s name and photo to push anti-vaccination messages.
Ms Campbell’s son Diego Gilsenan (18) died by suicide in August 2021. Ms O’Doherty, a former Irish Independent journalist, used his name and photograph for an article in her anti-vaccination freesheet newspaper The Irish Light. The photo appeared under the headline “Died suddenly”, falsely suggesting the youth died as a result of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Ms Campbell is currently suing Ms O’Doherty over her repeated refusal to cease using her son’s image, which she says amounts to a “a campaign of harassment”. She said previously she took the case as a last request.
Cutting off family members: ‘It had never occurred to me that you could grieve somebody who was still alive’
The bird-shaped obsession that drives James Crombie, one of Ireland’s best sports photographers
The Dublin riots, one year on: ‘I know what happened doesn’t represent Irish people’
The week in US politics: Gaetz fiasco shows Trump he won’t get everything his way
She recently also made a criminal complaint to the Garda, alleging that the harassment has escalated since she lodged her High Court case.
Mr Mulholland has also reported to the Law Society allegations of harassment and death threats from Ms O’Doherty and her followers.
It is understood he informed the regulatory body these include calls for him to be executed and labelling his practice a “Marxist” law firm. He said there have also been videos and posts from Mr O’Doherty naming his staff members and calling on her supporters to take action.
As a result, he has upgraded security at his Dundalk office, including CCTV and alarm systems, the Law Society was told.
The Law Society has since offered various supports to Mr Mulholland and his staff.
Ms Campbell has already secured an interim injunction restraining Ms O’Doherty from harassing her or using her son’s image, an injunction which has allegedly been breached.
In her complaint to gardaí, made in mid-June, she said since taking the legal action the harassment and become worse and more targeted.
This includes allegedly saying Ms Campbell is being exploited by “dangerous scum” and that if she killed herself, it would not be Ms O’Doherty’s fault.
Ms Campbell alleged Ms O’Doherty posted her image online, along with images of her other children and Diego’s friends. Ms O’Doherty also allegedly posted Ms Campbell’s home and work address, causing her significant distress and fear.
Ms Campbell told gardaí her alleged harasser has suggested her son was murdered or had drugs in his system.
It is understood that since making the complaint to gardaí in Co Cavan, Ms Campbell has been unhappy with how seriously it has been taken. A subsequent complaint has since been made to the Garda Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) outlining these concerns.
Ms O’Doherty did not respond to a request for comment. She has previously, through her lawyers, rejected all of the allegations of wrongdoing made against her. The Law Society declined to comment.
