Former Cork councillor looked woman 'dead in the eyes and called himself a stalker', court told

The young woman's victim impact statement detailed the effect the three incidents of harassment had on her

Joseph O’Donovan, formerly known as Gary O’Flynn, who has 26 previous convictions, including for soliciting a person to murder three people including a garda, pleaded guilty to harassment. Picture: Noel Sweeney

A former Fianna Fáil councillor charged with harassment looked a young woman “dead in the eyes and called himself a stalker,” a court has heard.

He then laughed and “that laugh makes me recoil in fear to this day,” the young woman said in her victim impact statement which she read to Cork District Court on Friday.

Joseph O’Donovan, formerly known as Gary O’Flynn, who has 26 previous convictions, including for soliciting a person to murder three people including a garda, pleaded guilty to harassment.

Mr O’Donovan, aged 50 of Melvindale House, Coolowen, Blarney, County Cork, admitted to a charge contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, for the offence of harassment on three dates between July 30 and August 6, 2022, at a location in Cork City.

The harassment

The 25-year-old woman was working in a popular city centre restaurant where Mr O’Donovan was drinking wine on July 30, 2022.

He flagged her as she walked past, took her hand, kissed it, and told her she “was the nicest and prettiest girl he had ever seen,” Sergeant John Kelleher told Cork District Court.

She was uncomfortable with the attention and walked away, the court heard. Mr O'Donovan then returned the next day and told her he only wanted her to serve him. He ordered food and wine.

He was staring at her and kissed her hand again, Sgt Kelleher said. The victim again felt very uncomfortable.

He left, but returned when she was cleaning at the end of her shift. He breathed into her ear, and said: "Meet me outside for a tip and I better get your phone number for it." He then went outside and stared in the window at her, the court heard.

The complainant told him to leave her alone, Sgt Kelleher said. “But he came in, leaned over her ear and asked when he could see her again,” Sgt Kelleher said.

He was asked to leave by the manager again and as he left he threw a €50 note at her.

She again found him standing in front of her while she was at work. He said he was sorry if he scared her and said he “couldn’t help it”. He was reported to gardaí and was arrested.

Joseph O'Donovan arriving at the Cork District Court on Friday. Picture: Noel Sweeney

He told gardaí that he found the complainant “very pretty” and said he “kissed her hand out of etiquette, like they do in the movies.” He had felt things were “very congenial between them” and thought they were “flirting”.

He told gardaí that his intention was never to upset her. When he was asked to leave by the manager, he said he only returned to give her a tip.

Sgt Kelleher said that when gardaí were called to the city centre restaurant, the injured party was “distraught and terrified”. The defendant was “somewhat intoxicated” and said “this must be about [injured party’s name],” when they approached him.

Victim impact statement

Reading her victim impact statement to court, the woman said that she “never imagined that something as ordinary as going to work could turn into something I’d carry with me for years.” 

“I was just doing my job, smiling, being polite and trying to get through my shift. But one man, this man, took my professionalism as permission. When I said no, he didn’t stop. And from that moment on, I stopped feeling safe."

Some “instinctual alarm bell” went off in her body telling her to run when he grabbed her hand very tightly and kissed it, she said. 

He decided that my body, my attention, my presence were his to take.

“I never forgot his stares. His weird comments. The way he lingered and waited; during my breaks, after my shift.” He had claimed their meetings were “serendipity”, a word that still gives the woman chills.

"There was no serendipity in that moment. He had waited for me. There was no luck, no chance, just a man who created a trap and tried to cover it in romance.” 

She has felt so fearful of him finding her that it has stopped her leaving her home. “It left me terrified in places that I used to feel safe,” she said.

Mr O’Donovan looked her in the eyes and told her he was a “creep” and a “stalker”, she said.

“How can a man so boldly, so confidently label himself with these disgusting titles, then laugh about it? I can only assume it's because he expected to get away with it.” 

Defence solicitor, Frank Buttimer, said that his client had pleaded guilty. His client had visited the restaurant three times over six days, he said.

On his third visit to the restaurant, he had apologised. But this visit upset the woman so much that the gardaí were called. After this, he had stayed away from the woman, Mr Buttimer said.

When he was arrested, he gave gardaí “an extremely lengthy statement” and said he was very sorry “for the way it was picked up” and “apologised profusely.” He “never thought it went to the point where she was upset,” Mr Buttimer said.

Mr Buttimer said his client had lived under very strict bail conditions following his arrest and had had no contact with the complainant. He had engaged with a consultant psychiatrist since the incidents, Mr Buttimer said.

He had been told he was on the autistic spectrum and was diagnosed with a depressive type illness.

Joseph O'Donovan had visited the restaurant three times over six days. Picture: Noel Sweeney

Judge Mary Dorgan commended the victim for coming into court and giving a powerful victim impact statement. It had been “difficult to hear” what she had put up with from this man, she said.

There were reports that the defendant had shown kindness to people and had a successful business, Judge Dorgan said. And a psychologist was “of the view that he was not a danger to the public,” although this was just one view.

She said she would adjourn the case until October 3 for a probation report and a full psychiatric report.

She ordered Mr O’Donovan not to have any contact with the victim. The matter of compensation must also be addressed, she said.

As Gary O’Flynn, the defendant was a councillor on Cork City Council from 2003 to 2008.