MEP urges victims of harassment and coercive control to seek help

Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion said 'getting out' of such relationships can be very difficult and urged anyone supporting victims not be judgemental as simply being there to listen is more important. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

MEP Kathleen Funchion has urged victims of coercive control or harassment to seek support in warning that such abuse can be "subtle" and "happens over time".

The Sinn Féin politician, whose former partner was this week jailed under Coco's Law, has detailed the lasting distress she endured which brought her to "breaking point".

Sean Tyrrell was given a four month prison sentence on Monday, with a sperate four month jail term suspended for two years, for offences under Section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, also known as Coco's law.

Ms Funchion said "getting out" of such relationships can be very difficult and urged anyone supporting victims not be judgemental as simply being there to listen is more important.

The Irish Examiner originally reported that Tyrrell persisted in making groundless allegations of unfaithfulness and tried to force her to take a lie detector test that caused "very considerable upset".

In August 2022, after the couple had fully separated, Tyrrell contacted a national newspaper journalist outlining, what the court heard, was "false information" of domestic violence and financial abuse.

He sent a screengrabs of these emails to Ms Funchion and threatened to provide the journalist with her name if she did not agree to a number of demands which included taking the lie detector test and arranging a meeting with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.

Tyrrell also threatened that he would contact the spouses of a number of Ms Funchion's close friends to claim they had been unfaithful in their marriages if she did not comply with his demands.

It has changed my life, and not in a positive way. I have very serious issues with trust as a result of this. I don't see that ever leaving me.

"No matter what I said, he was adamant that I was being unfaithful in the relationship and I found that very difficult. He wanted me to take a lie detector test, which I would say at one point I was considering doing and I think that shows how it really gets into your head and you really do doubt yourself.

"The important thing here is that actually, somebody who is controlling like that, no matter what you do, it’s never going to be good enough," she told RTÉ's News At One programme.

Ms Funchion thanked Amber women’s refuge in Kilkenny who she first contacted for support, before going to gardaí where she was put in contact with the "incredible" protective services unit of the gardaí in Kilkenny.

Providing advice to those who may be concerned about a family member or friend, she said: "The best thing you can do is be a support and be a non-judging support.

"It can be hard to do that, everyone rushes in to say: 'Get out of the situation, what are you doing in that relationship?' That's the easy thing to say, the difficult thing to do is to sit and be with someone and listen to them and be non-judgmental. And that's what people in similar situations need," she said.

In sentencing Tyrrell, of 31 Cypress Grove, Loughboy, Kilkenny, Judge Cephas Power acknowledged the guilty plea, but said that he "must have known, and he must have intended" to cause "significant distress" to Ms Funchion through his actions.