A man who harassed Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill by sending her unsolicited sexual content online has been handed a fully suspended sentence.

Gerard Culhane from Marian Place, Glin, Co Limerick, admitted harassing Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on various dates between January 13th 2020 and March 26th 2020.

The court heard he used a fake Facebook account to send her “sexually explicit content.”

At his sentence hearing in May, Deputy Carroll MacNeill told the court she had to “question her personal safety for the first time” as a result of what Culhane did.

"Just not acceptable"

Speaking outside court after the sentence was handed down today, Deputy Carroll MacNeill said she took action because this type of behaviour is unacceptable.

“There are many, many women facing the same thing that I did during the general election,” she said.

“There are many women facing that in other ways – unwanted advances whether online or in person.

“So, I want to say very clearly is, that it is just not acceptable.

“Unwanted sexual content, to have to receive it at any time of the day, whether it is intended frivolously or in a more threatening way, sending unwanted sexual content is not normal and it is not acceptable.”

Harassment

The harassment took place during the 2020 General Election campaign.

Deputy Carroll MacNeill went on to win a seat for Fine Gael in the Dun Laoghaire constituency, but described how she was afraid while on the campaign trail because she had to be out and about a lot and often wondered whether the contact was a precursor to something else.

Over a three-month period, Culhane sent her thirteen messages, including three sexually explicit videos. The court heard he used a fake Facebook account to harass her.

In the end, the 43-year-old, who is living with his parents in Limerick, admitted everything and said he was sorry.

He was handed a fully-suspended one-year sentence today and ordered to stay away from Deputy Carroll MacNeill – both in-person and online.