Woman avoids jail over threats to bomb President

A woman who sent obscene phone messages, including one to Áras an Uachtaráin threatening to bomb the President if he visited England, has received a suspended five-year sentence.

Anne Fennell, aged 57, referred to President Michael D Higgins as a “ladyboy” on one occasion and on another told the receptionist that “the President and Sabrina Higgins would go home in plastic bags if they set foot on English soil”.

She made repeated threats to bomb the President over a number of phonecalls in April 2014 and again in October the same year.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court also heard evidence of a campaign of harassment against Fennell’s parish priest. The man received numerous nuisance calls and she also ordered taxis and takeaways to his home.

Fennell, of Monastery Gate Green, Clondalkin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to making persistent annoying phonecalls and sending obscene or menacing phone messages to Áras an Uachtaráin, the Department of Finance, the European Commission Representation, An Post Dublin Mail Centre, and the constituency offices of TDs Alan Kelly, Aodhán Ó Riordáin, and Noel Coonan, between February 2 and December 1, 2014.

She also pleaded guilty to harassing Fr Desmond Byrne at an address in Clondalkin between September and October 2006. Fennell has no previous convictions.

The court heard the entire area around Dáil Éireann had to be searched on November 18, 2014, when Fennell called to say there would be a bomb at the main gate. The parliamentary usher who took the call later told gardaí that Fennell, a former An Post worker, had hung up “screaming”.

Judge Melanie Greally yesterday noted Fennell had abused people in “frightening and voracious terms” and that many of the threats had to be regarded as serious and resources had to be expended to satisfy the authorities that they were bogus. The later offences were committed while on bail.

Judge Greally said she did not think Fennell would benefit from being incarcerated and noted her very complex and unfortunate psychological history.

She imposed consecutive sentences totalling five years which she suspended in full and ordered 18 months probation supervision to include availing of psychiatric and therapeutic services within the community.