Three Killarney jarveys pay couple €15k for ‘scurrilous’ harassment

Over €15,000 has been paid by three Killarney jarveys in compensation to a Killarney couple against whom they ran “a scurrilous” campaign of harassment via email, phone and internet.

The money was handed over by the men’s solicitors at Killarney District Court. Hefty contributions are to be made also to the court poor box.

The victims, Julie and Michael Sweetman, suffered a sustained campaign of harassment in May 2010 after they set up in business against Michael and Paul Tangney, Judge James O’Connor found in the case which took a number of days, over the past year.

A lengthy investigation was conducted by gardaí in which computers were seized and examined.

Michael Tangney aged 27, a single man, and his brother Paul Tangney, aged 41, a father of three, each with separate addresses at Muckross Close, Killarney, had denied harassing “by persistingly communicating with them, including by means of telephone and internet”, on dates inclusive between May 9 and May 25, 2010, Michael Sweetman and his wife Julie Sweetman.

They said they had no personal animosity against the couple.

The Tangneys owned eight of the 37 jarvey licences operating from the town centre jarvey stand. The campaign against the Sweetmans began after Mr Sweetman joined the newly established jarvey co-operative.

A former employee of the Tangneys, Kevin Counihan, aged 34, of Apartment 1, High Street, Killarney, had pleaded guilty at an early stage to the charge and had also acted as a whistleblower, a previous court was told. He has now paid €500 into court in compensation, while the Tangney brothers paid €7,500 each.

Each man is also to make hefty contributions to the court poor box — €2,500 each in the case of the Tangneys and €750 in the case of Mr Counihan. The deadline for this payment is July.

The harassing of the couple had been “scurrilous” , and born out of greed, Judge James O’Connor found. He convicted all three in November and adjourned a decision on whether to jail the men to see if compensation would be paid.

Blocked calls had been made from a hotel across the street from the jarvey stand in Killarney and there would be loud laughter when Mr Sweetman would answer the hoax calls; false bookings were made, and the Sweetmans, who are childless, had been signed up to a Pampers nappy website.

They had also been signed up to a fertility clinic.

Mr Sweetman had been signed up to credit card, and dating websites, including gay sites.

Around 250 emails were sent to the couple, as well as a huge amount of spam.

Phonecalls would come in the middle of the night and no-one was at the other end, Julie Sweetman said.