A 36-year-old hairdresser who gossiped with customers to gather information on a younger love rival so she could text her "nasty and degrading" messages had engaged in one of the worst cases of harassment he had ever come across, a judge said yesterday.
Siobhán Power had bombarded the woman - who is in her 20s - with more than 1,000 phone calls and text messages after her middle-aged lover left her for the younger woman.
She also sent messages to the man, his mother and his wife, who had not been aware of their affair.
Yesterday at Midleton District Court, Judge Michael Pattwell said that the victim had described Power as "sick" and while he had some reservations about using that word, he certainly had no hesitation in describing her as "misguided", given her behaviour.
"It's probably as bad a harassment case as I've come across since the act came into force, though perhaps I shouldn't say that because every case of harassment is bad for the victim involved," said Judge Pattwell.
Power, with an address at Church St, Cloyne, had pleaded guilty at an earlier court sitting to harassing the woman by making phone calls to her and sending her text messages over a three-month period from November 2002 to February 2003.
Insp Martin Dorney had told an earlier court sitting that Power had made numerous silent calls to the victim's landline and mobile before sending her "nasty and degrading" text messages. She was traced when she bought a SIM card which she used on her brother's phone.
Power's solicitor, Mr Ken Murray, told the court yesterday that his client had gone for counselling and she deeply regretted the hurt that she had caused the victim and the embarrassment which she had caused her own family after the case attracted huge media publicity.
Judge Pattwell said that he hoped the counselling would make Power a better person and he did not believe it was a case that merited a custodial sentence. He convicted and fined her €750 and bound her to be of good behaviour and keep the peace for three years.
He said that it was a very serious matter but he was certain that if the injured party were to contact her solicitor, she would be able to take a civil action against Power for all the upset she had caused her by her harassment.
