Harassment by jarveys ‘born out of greed’

A campaign of harassment by two Killarney jarveys against a husband and wife who had formed a rival jarvey co-operative business with a number of others was “scurrilous” and born out of greed, a judge has said.

The campaign by brothers Michael and Paul Tangney relentlessly targeted Michael Sweetman and wife Julie via email, phone, and internet, night and day.

The case at Killarney District Court, which has taken a number of days over the last 13 months, was told that old-fashioned mockery and “craic” at the expense of the Sweetmans had also been employed.

Michael Tangney, aged 27, and Paul Tangney, aged 41, with separate addresses at Muckross Close, Killarney, had denied harassing the Sweetmans of the Killarney Horse and Carriage Co-op.

The Tangneys owned eight of the 37 jarvey licences operating from the ‘Ha Ha’, as the jarvey stand in the town is known.

Judge James O’Connor recalled how, between May 9 and 25, 2010, blocked calls had been made from the International Hotel across the street from the jarvey stand in Killarney; false bookings were made; and the Sweetmans had been signed up “to a Pampers nappy website, knowing Mr Sweetman and his wife had no kids at all”.

“The real horrible situation was that they were signed up to a fertility clinic,” the judge said.

Judge O’Connor said the harassment had amounted to “bullying” and would leave a mental scar on the Sweetmans.

Judge O’Connor had threatened to jail the brothers. After an offer of compensation of €15,000 by December 15 (€7,500 each), as well as a sum of €5,000 to the court poor box (€2,500 each), he said he was willing to look at a possible conviction and suspended sentence. He adjourned sentencing to December 15.

Dan O’Connor, for Paul Tangney, said his client worked 14 hours a day . The genesis of the unintentional but reckless behaviour by his client was as a result of the modernisation of the jarvey business in Killarney, the court heard.