Woman’s conviction for harassing ex quashed
At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Carroll Moran said Siobhan Downes, aged 35, had caused “havoc”, but he overturned a one-year suspended jail sentence and, instead, applied the Probation Act.
The sentence had been imposed by the district court for eight separate breaches, between March and October last year, of a protection order granted to an ex-boyfriend.
The man ended the relationship in October 2012 after the couple were together for between 12 and 18 months.
Judge Moran made the ruling after Ms Downes gave an assurance she would not contact the man again.
She yesterday publicly apologised to the family of the man.
Ms Downes of Childers Rd, Ennis, said: “I realise that my actions in relation to my previous relationship has caused serious upset to a lot of people.”
Judge Moran said that Ms Downes had caused “havoc” and demanded an assurance from her that she understood the havoc she had been causing.
Ms Downes said she did understand and stated: “I want to express an apology to the family for my actions.”
In the witness box and speaking publicly for the first time on the fallout of the relationship, Ms Downes said: “There has been no contact since last October and I don’t ever intend to contact him again.”
Eimear Carey, for Ms Downes, said the ending of the relationship “had a very profound effect on Ms Downes”.
In court yesterday, Clare State solicitor Martin Linnane read out a statement made by the man to gardaí.
The statement outlined Ms Downes calling several times to the man’s home, demanding to speak to him despite the protection order.
In one text message seeking a reunion, Ms Downes said she was “heartbroken”, with another saying, “I love you so much”.
The man said he left for the UK last year “to try to get away from Siobhan Downes and to start a new job”. He had switched off his phone on a Thursday but by Sunday, 30 voice messages had been left by Ms Downes.
He had told gardaí: “I am very stressed over the constant harassment. I want nothing to do with her. She is ruining my life and refusing to leave me alone.”
Last October, she spent 10 days in Limerick prison on remand.
Yesterday, consultant psychiatrist Dr Mohammed Ahmed said that Ms Downes’s judgment at the time of the breaches was “impaired”.
Dr Ahmed said she had extreme difficulty in coping with the ending of the relationship. “She just couldn’t accept the relationship ended and didn’t realise the full extent of the breaking of the protection order.”
Dr Ahmed said Ms Downes has now turned a corner. “I believe that she is in a very stable mental state at the present,” he said.
Ms Carey said Ms Downes is no longer on any medication.
Addressing Ms Downes after receiving an assurance there would be no further contact with the man, Judge Moran said: “You have no previous convictions — you are not a criminal.”
