Kathleen Funchion 'feels vindicated again' as ex-partner's sentence is raised for Coco's Law offence

The Sinn Féin MEP said Sean Tyrrell's appeal of his sentence was an attempt by him to 'drag the situation on'

Kathleen Funchion said she hoped her case was a 'sign of the system changing' and it would encourage other women to come forward. File picture

Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion has said an appeal of a custodial sentence by her former partner under Coco’s Law was an attempt by him to “drag the situation on”.

Sean Tyrrell saw his custodial sentence increase from four months to five months at the Kilkenny Circuit Court on Monday following a severity appeal, that he had taken.

Tyrrell, aged 39, of 31 Cypress Grove, Loughboy, Kilkenny, was given a four-month custodial sentence in April 2025, with a separate 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.

However, following the completion of a probation report as part of an appeal on the severity of the sentence, Judge Cormac Quinn told the court that a custodial sentence was “warranted and inevitable”, as he increased the sentence by one month to five months.

In August 2022, Tyrrell contacted a journalist and later sent screenshots of these emails to Ms Funchion, threatening that if she did not take a lie detector test and arrange a meeting for him with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, he would release “embarrassing allegations”. 

A separate email address also threatened to divulge confidential information about friends.

'Vindicated'

Speaking to the Irish Examiner after the judge’s ruling, Ms Funchion expressed “relief” and “shock” but said she was glad a three-and-a-half-year legal process was behind her.

“What you hear when somebody appeals their sentence is often [it] will decrease, or it will be maybe put to a suspended sentence. I was trying to gear myself up for that,” she said.

“I feel vindicated again. Last April, coming out of the court, I had described it as feeling nearly physically lighter, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

“Going through the appeal process was really difficult. Last October, when there was a case, I was expecting a result that day. I had it dragging on then all over Christmas.

“To actually have the sentence increased, I really feel like that's justice served. It’s so hard to come forward, and it's so hard to stick with it because it's such a long process."

She said the outcome on Monday shows it is so important to come forward, "because that's the only way to get justice". 

"That's the only way to get closure. It's the only way to be vindicated," she said. “I feel totally relieved, but I nearly can't believe it. To think that this is the end at last as well, it's just an incredible feeling.

“In my view, and in my opinion, this was just a way [for Tyrrell] to drag the situation on. I respect everyone has a right to appeal. This shows it didn't work out.” 

'Changing system'

Ms Funchion paid tribute to Judge Quinn following his acknowledgement that she had read out her victim impact statement to the court twice. On the second occasion at the October appeal hearing, she was not expecting to have to reread it.

She admitted that she did expect the case to last as long as it did, as she spoke of feeling “physically sick” each time the case was due in court.

Ms Funchion also said that there have been “horrific cases” in court where people have walked away with suspended sentences, and that she hoped her case was a “sign of the system changing” and it would encourage other women to come forward.