Councillor refutes swinger claims

A politician whose friends got text messages on foot of false reports posted about him on an internet swinger site has vowed to track down the perpetrators.

Gardaí and Interpol are investigating the source of an anonymous text message, circulated earlier this week to people known to Niall O’Callaghan, an independent town councillor in Killarney, Co Kerry.

The text resulted from comments on a British and Irish website, www.fabswinger.com, used by singles and couples seeking to engage in sex acts with others.

The internet comments claimed Mr O’Callaghan had been involved in sex acts with men and women in his family-owned Fáilte Hotel, Killarney, at the weekend.

A clearly distressed Mr O’Callaghan yesterday said he had been reduced to tears and had not slept since he became aware of the “bullying’’ rumours on Tuesday.

“I’m happily married with two children and was at home with my family at the weekend,” he said.

“This is being done by people who want to ruin my life and ruin my relationship. If I wasn’t a stronger person I don’t know what I would have done.”

Earlier this week, Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath was the subject of online hacking after images of scantily clad women were posted on his Facebook page.

The Cork South Central TD has shut down the Facebook account.

Mr O’Callaghan, meanwhile, said he learnt about the texts from friends who had received them, and then went to his solicitor and the Garda.

“I’m just reeling from this and can’t understand how someone can put your name and false rumours up on an internet site and blacken you in this way. But I feel for my wife and two children, who are 14 and 12, and my wider family more than anything else.”

He said some system has to be put in place to identify and trace people who put such comments on the internet.

“’The gardaí have been fantastic and I’m confident the people that did this will be traced and brought to justice. I’m not going to let this lie. I’m used to being in the public eye and regard myself as a strong person, but now I see how internet bullying can have such devastating effects on people who just find such behaviour almost impossible to deal with.”

Mr O’Callaghan is the maor uisce with the Kerry senior football team and is also active in entertainment and basketball circles in Killarney.