Grandmother posted soiled underwear to couple

A grandmother who posted soiled underwear to a couple she had been harassing for years has been sentenced to three years in prison with the final two years suspended.

Goretti O’Dowd, aged 62, of 3 Parkmore Estate, Tuam, pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court to three charges of harassment involving two people at various locations in the town, on various dates between May 2012 and October 2014.

Sentence was adjourned on a number of occasions in the interim as Conal McCarthy, defending, explained he needed time to obtain a comprehensive psychiatric report on his client, whom he said, had a long history of mental health issues and was under the care of the psychiatric services.

Garda David Comer confirmed all harassment stopped once criminal proceedings were brought against O’Dowd in December 2014.

Garda Comer said O’Dowd would mock the victims in public places and make insulting and upsetting comments about them to their children. She regularly made rude hand gestures towards them and made sexual gestures towards them in public on several occasions.

Garda Comer read both victims’ impact statements into evidence.

In his statement, the man said O’Dowd had made his life a living hell and he didn’t know how a mother/woman would be so cruel as she had terrified the children who woke up at night crying.

He said they had been subjected to a tirade of filthy abuse and O’Dowd had even posted filthy underwear to their home.

“All we want is to be happy and have our lives back. Please give us our lives back and the lives of our children,” his statement said. In her impact statement, his partner said “I’m living in fear morning, noon and night. My children suffer the same torture and persecution. I’m afraid returning home because Goretti O’Dowd might be outside hurling abuse and foul language at us. I do not feel safe in my own home.”

O’Dowd had two previous convictions, for making a hoax phone call, and harassment of a family in Tuam.

Mr McCarthy said O’Dowd had been admitted to the psych unit in 1991 and again in 2013 and she needed help more than a custodial sentence.

Judge Rory McCabe said the continuous, prolonged nature of the harassment placed it at the high side on the scale of gravity.