Woman who harassed two teachers causing both to quit jobs gets suspended jail sentence

The woman in her early 60s who was charged with harassment was present in court last week when both injured parties described the effect her actions had had on them during her campaign of harassment.

Garda Donal Doyle told the court that he had received correspondence from Victim A, in November 2020 that appeared to be a letter from the Teaching Council which was delivered to the school attaching the code of conduct signed off as the “Education Department” within the council.

Brendan Curran, state solicitor, queried with Garda Doyle if this department exists to which he confirmed it does not.

After this incident on February 14, 2022 Victim A received a Valentines day card which was posted to her home address which read “Happy Valentines Day, see you soon”.

Victim A was in a long term relationship at this time.

A month later a St. Patrick’s Day card was also sent to her home.

Mr Curran put to the court that the implication of these cards was that they were from a secret admirer and could cause significant issues in her relationship.

Garda Doyle confirmed these cards were sent to Victim A’s home address and caused her significant stress.

The second complainant, Victim B, was a colleague working in the school alongside Victim A.

Both women had raised concerns within the school and in June 2020 Victim B received a letter which again appeared to be from the teaching council which was sent to her home address.

This letter seemed to accuse the injured party of harassing and bullying co-workers and referred to health and safety legislation.

On December 18, 2020 the defendant was staring into the classroom of Victim B.

The defendant also phoned Victim B’s mother-in-law. The court heard these calls were not threatening but deemed inappropriate, with Garda Doyle saying “the tone was not great”.

In October 2021 Victim B received correspondence purporting to be from the teaching council with the code of conduct attached and again Garda Doyle said it didn’t come from the council.

Ultimately complaints were made and investigated by Garda Doyle.

In relation to the St. Patrick’s Day card received by Victim A in March 2021 the stamp was able to be traced to the post office it was bought as well as the date and time it was bought.

This allowed gardaí to locate CCTV and identify the accused as the person buying the stamp.

As a result of this warrants were executed, one of which led to the seizure of a printer which correlated to a print test page that was on the back of one of the letters included in the letters purporting to be from the teaching council, and the accused was then arrested.

She made admissions at the time and was further interviewed on two occasions where she also made full admissions to the correspondence but did not accept the accusation of staring into the window at the school.

The accused claimed she was trying to help her sister who held a position within the school at the time.

Victim A read her victim impact statement into court.

She detailed that in the final three years of teaching within the school there were staff issues and during this time she began to receive anonymous post.

Victim A said that these malicious letters were sent to damage her professional and personal relationships, and her sense of trust in the workplace felt undermined.

She became worried that she had been reported to the teaching council and was incredibly upset, on the same date it was received the teaching council confirmed that it was not from them.

Victim A claimed the third and fourth letters received, the cards sent to her home address, were the most devastating as they implied she was having an affair and attempted to cause a rift in her relationship.

She stated in her final two years of teaching she became increasingly anxious and isolated, entering the school only through the back door and rarely leaving her room unless necessary.

Victim A said how she had ultimately decided to leave the school which she described as “one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made”.

She added the effect the letters had was “devastating” as she began to feel stressed and anxious, and felt vulnerable and unsafe at the idea of receiving further letters. The victim added that her peace of mind was taken from her. She said the “emotional pain had been all consuming”.

Victim A also noted that the defendant, who also had an educational background herself, should have known the serious damage her actions could cause.

Victim A ended her statement on a bittersweet note stating she is finally beginning to put her life back together and that she is grateful for the years she had in this school and remembers her past pupils fondly and is thankful for the colleagues she has had the privilege of working with stating they are still some of her greatest friends.

Victim B then shared she felt she was targeted for raising child and staff safety issues within the school over two years and seven months.

She described how she felt unsafe, threatened, and under attack by the letters as the letters suggested insider knowledge of the school’s issues.

Victim B said she felt hurt over the loss of what had been a good school atmosphere. She stated she had reported all the letters received to her Board of Management yet no action was taken, as a result she worried constantly about another letter.

Victim B emphasised to the court the premeditation involved in these letters as they needed to be “typed, printed, folded, placed into an envelope, addressed, stamped, brought to a post office or letterbox, and posted”.

When Victim B as informed by Garda Doyle that the defendant, who Victim B said was a former principal in addition to holding other educational qualifications, was the culprit behind the letters she felt her conduct was a betrayal of the teaching profession.

Victim B also recounted an incident in January 2021, when the defendant contacted her elderly mother-in-law, leaving phone calls and voicemails that the victim described as threatening and demanding.

She felt that the tone of these calls showed a complete lack of respect for the elderly woman and caused immense worry and stress. As a result of the ongoing harassment, Victim B became “constantly on high alert”, fearing that the defendant was watching or following her.

She described the worry as “relentless". Ultimately, the victim made the difficult decision to leave the school. She described the emotional toll as leaving her feeling “afraid, weak, helpless, unsafe, and vulnerable”.

She referred to the entire ordeal as “a nightmare I could not wake from” in which there was no escape or relief. Victim B thanked the gardaí for their professionalism, commitment, and kindness in this case and also stated she is grateful to her family, friends, and colleagues for the support received during these circumstances and counts herself lucky for these people in her life.

Ross Pratt O’Brien BL, counsel for the defendant, confirmed that there was ongoing issues within the school and stated it was a fair assessment to say there were a number of parties involved at the time.

Mr. Pratt O’Brien BL told the court that the defendant is the older sister to a woman who worked within the school and this woman would have kept the accused appraised of everything going on within the school.

As a token of remorse a sum of €4,000 was offered to both victims which Garda Doyle confirmed was refused.

Mr. Pratt O’Brien BL described the incident as “not a very sophisticated operation” which Garda Doyle confirmed but stated there was a bit of thought in putting everything together.

Garda Doyle confirmed the accused has no previous convictions, made early admissions, and has not come to An Garda Síochána attention since the last incident in March 2022.

The defendant then took to the witness stand to convey her apologies to both of the injured parties. She acknowledged the hurt and expressed her deep regret for the hurt she caused to the individuals involved.

She stated she felt immense pressure to support her sister who was experiencing challenges within the school and acknowledged how she should not have allowed her emotions to dominate and control her actions and should have maintained a neutral and objective stance.

She described her actions as “unwise and very regrettable". The accused offered her sincere apologies to all parties involved and expressed her deep remorse for the impact her actions had.

Mr. Pratt O’Brien BL urged the court to consider a probation report in the unusual circumstances of the case where there were ongoing issues within the school and Walsh felt protective of her sister.

The barrister told the court that the defendant is working part time as a lecturer and her career is essentially winding down.

Counsel reminded the court of the accused’s sincere apology and remorse for her actions and stated he is seeking a probation report as he feels certain issues will come to light in this report.

Judge John Cheatle described the incident as an “out of character event with very serious consequences” but did not order a probation report and instead opted to finalise matters for the peace of mind of both injured parties.

Judge Cheatle commended the victims for their statements and also the gardaí for their professionalism in this case.

He remarked that when the defendant began sending these letters that she had no idea of the “catastrophic effect” her actions would have on both women and their families and friends in so many ways.

Judge Cheatle stated he cannot see the benefit in imprisoning the accused and imposed a 10-month sentence suspended for 12-months, and also ordered €4,000 be paid to each of the injured parties as a gesture of remorse and in circumstances where the victims do not want the money they can nominate a charity for the funds to be paid to.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme

Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 16th