Suspended jail term for 'sinister' campaign of harassment
The defendant pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
A friend of the late Joe Deacy has received a suspended prison sentence for his part in a “malevolent and sinister” campaign of harassment.
Brendan Rowland, aged 30, a Ballycroy native now living in Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, previously pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to harassing Peter and Anne Byrne of Gortnasillagh, Swinford.
Joe Deacy, from St Alban’s in the UK, was found unconscious outside the Byrne home at 6.45am on August 12, 2017. He later died from head injuries at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and a Garda investigation remains ongoing.
The court heard the accused was a friend of Mr Deacy’s and the young man was supposed to be staying in Rowland’s home on the night he died but was unable to do so because of a family funeral.
The Byrnes said they received 40 cards over a one-year period and they suspected that more than one person was responsible. Gardaí connected Rowland to 14 of the cards received. They were sent between December 14, 2018 and December 31, 2019.
The 40 cards sent included Christmas, birthday, wedding, Mother’s Day, and anniversary cards. A black rose was also sent to the home but there was no evidence to suggest this was the work of Rowland.
The signature on almost all of the cards received was ‘Joe’ or ‘Joseph’. The word ‘conscience’ was written on a number of the cards.
“To the Byrne family, hope Santa brings you a conscience,’ read one of the cards.
“I hope this Christmas brings you courage instead of cowardice. From Joe’, stated another.
“Have a killer Christmas,” read a further message.
Gardaí traced the purchase location of some of the stamps and CCTV was collected which linked the sale to Rowland’s mother.
On December 26, 2020, Rowland was arrested and made admissions during interview. He admitted sending cards from England which he asked his mother to post. She did not realise the contents until she opened one of them and then destroyed a number of the cards. However, the accused’s father inadvertently posted some of the cards which had not been destroyed.
In a victim impact statement, Peter and Anne Byrne denied any knowledge of what happened to Joe Deacy.
Rowland, who works as a site foreman, has 11 previous convictions in the UK.
Barrister Dr Laura Byrne, representing Rowland, said emotional pain was no excuse for her client’s actions but he was “engulfed” in grief following the loss of his friend Joe Deacy.
The court heard that Rowland was involved in the erection of a bench in Mr Deacy’s memory at St Alban’s GAA club in the UK. He is set to take on the Sea to Summit Challenge next month in aid of Mayo Roscommon Hospice. This charity was chosen to reflect Mrs Byrne’s status as a cancer survivor.
Dr Byrne said her client has proposed that a plaque or bench be erected in Swinford or Bohola in memory of his friend and is open to any suggestions from the Byrne family should they wish to be involved.
Judge Eoin Garavan said it was a “tragic event for a lot of people involved".
“This was a malevolent and sinister campaign adopted by Mr Rowland and I suspect others,” the judge commented.
He said the full extent of campaign “cannot rest solely with Mr Rowland", adding that the Byrne family were “psychologically tortured” by the harassment.
He noted that Rowland has accepted responsibility for his actions and is apologetic.
The judge imposed an 18-month suspended prison sentence. Rowland was also ordered not to have any communication with Mr and Mrs Byrne and not to come within 500 metres of them or their home for a period of 10 years.
“It’s sad that the memory of Joe Deacy was caught up with this case,” the judge concluded.
