Mayo woman terrorised by stalker with sinister obsession

A Leitrim man subjected a Mayo woman to a “sinister and disturbing” campaign of harassment.

David Moran, aged 32, of Corrabeagh, Gervagh, Mohill, Co Leitrim, pleaded guilty to harassing his victim during a 13-month period, before a sitting of Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.

The court heard that Moran and his 31-year-old victim met on an online dating site in 2020. They had only met in person once with Moran aggrieved when the injured party told him she would rather be friends due to the distance between them. He and his victim remained in contact and she did not suspect him when the harassment began.

Gda Patrick Coen told the court the offences occurred between November 29, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

A number of obscene road signs were placed close to the victim’s home and in her father’s back garden.

One of the signs called her a “fat bitch” and stated she “likes to ride 15-year-old boys.” 

The victim’s father discovered a number of the road signs. One of them threatened to “get” her for what she had done while another threatened to cut her throat.

The 31-year-old woman received almost daily password reset queries for her social media accounts and she would also receive calls from companies who had all her card details and personal details.

When she placed her car for sale on the Done Deal website she began receiving abusive messages through the site’s messaging app.

Some of the abusive communications were picture messages which placed her head on someone else’s body.

Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok accounts were established by someone claiming to be the injured party’s new boyfriend. The accounts followed her friends and family members and posted obscene messages. Fake profiles using photoshopped images of the victim were also created which posted obscene status updates.

Vulgar messages purporting to be from the victim were also sent to her employer with one stating; “Got fingerbanged in a Landcruiser in Castlebar on Saturday night.” 

Moran had set up a number of email addresses from which to send obscene messages and two of these accounts were traced back to his mobile phone number.

The injured party had set up a trail camera outside her home and a vehicle suspected to be Moran’s Toyota Landcruiser was captured on camera in the early hours.

Gardai searched the home of the accused and discovered three mobile phones containing photographs of the injured party. Paint used to paint the offensive signs and items used to put the signs together were also found. He later made full admissions.

Moran was aware of the victim’s movements on certain dates but when questioned would not elaborate on how he had that information only stating it came from a female friend.

The court heard how Moran believed the injured party had been stringing him along and developed an “obsession” with her.

In early Snapchat exchanges between the pair, he told the victim that she had been “out to make a c*** of him”. He later apologised and they agreed to be friends.

They had agreed to meet for a drink while she was on a hen night in Carrick-on-Shannon. When she was unable to meet him Moran again became angry and upset and told her he hoped something awful would happen to her. She blocked his phone number and Snapchat but she sent an apologetic WhatsApp requesting to meet in Galway. He contacted her again telling her he was outside her place of work. The terrified victim left work through a rear entrance. Moran sent an abusive WhatsApp message after she refused to meet him and later sent her a gift voucher apologising. He rang her on a different phone number with the injured party accepting his apology but stating that she never wanted to hear from him again.

In a Victim Impact statement, the victim said Moran “stole her life” away from her and she does not believe she will ever be the same again. She said if someone mentions the word stalker she winces.

“The time, effort and planning put into ruining my life was unthinkable,” she stated “I really hope no one else suffers because of this awful man,” she added.

Moran has one previous conviction.

Desmond Dockery, SC, representing the accused, said his behaviour had “all the hallmarks of an obsession.” 

“There is a darkness there,” he remarked.

Judge Eoin Garavan said Moran’s actions were “sinister and disturbing.” 

The Judge adjourned sentencing until October 24, 2024 for a Probation Report to be carried out.