‘Reckless’ Facebook post costs man €30k

A couple has been awarded over €30,000 in damages against a neighbour who defamed them on Facebook.

Anthony Downes launched a tirade of insults against Patricia Barnett and her husband Paddy Murphy for no apparent reason.

The couple, from Buncrana in Donegal, took a defamation action against Mr Downes which was settled at Letterkenny Circuit Civil Court yesterday.

Mr Downes, who did not appear in court, admitted the action and had agreed to apologise unreservedly to the couple.

Ms Barnett, a pediatrist, told the court she barely knew Mr Downes and knew of no reason why he would have posted a number of attacks against her on her private and business Facebook pages.

The court heard Mr Downes accused Mr Murphy, of The Crescent, Buncrana, of having an affair with another woman and referred to her as being overweight, saying her exercise regime was not working.

Ms Barnett said she took screenshots of the Facebook posts, which appeared on February 5 and 6, 2015, and then deleted them before contacting gardaí.

She said the posts hurt her personally and professionally and said she later met clients who had not come back to her business because of the embarrassment the postings had caused.

Mr Murphy, who is his wife’s office manager and also an active member of the RNLI in Buncrana, said he was horrified by the Facebook posts.

“He [Downes] was indicating that I was having an affair. That was totally and utterly untrue,” said Mr Murphy.

He said that the post had been shared nine times on Facebook and was also liked a number of times.

Mr Murphy said he and his wife had to speak to their 15-year-old twins about the incident and explain to them that it was not true.

Patricia McCalum, for the couple, said they were seeking damages on behalf of their clients.

Peter Nolan, for Mr Downes, said his client had agreed to give an apology to Ms Barnett and Mr Murphy.

The apology read: “I, Anthony Downes, The Bungalow, The Crescent, Buncrana, Co Donegal, am responsible and I accept responsibility for the posting on Facebook of comments and about Patricia Barnett, Patrick Murphy, and Anne Harkin, which comments were irresponsible and false and without doubt took the good name and reputation of the persons mentioned, namely Patricia Barnett, Patrick Murphy, and Anne Harkin.

“I fully and sincerely apologise for the harm done, for my unjust attack on their reputation, and for the nasty nature of the comments.”

Judge James O’Donoghue described the Facebook posts written by Mr Downes as “scurrilous and reckless”.

He awarded Ms Barnett €20,000 in damages and Mr Murphy €12,500 in damages, and ordered that one of them receive their costs.

He also issued a general warning that the posting of Facebook comments is sometimes a “highly dangerous activity”.

“People, perhaps with alcohol late at night, can post these remarks and injure people’s character,” he said. “It is a highly dangerous activity and can result in long-term hurt to families and people’s good names and this is an example of that.”

Anne Harkin, the third plaintiff in the case, is to have her case heard by videolink from Australia in the coming days.