'My anxiety has kicked back in': Cork woman calls for victim support as stalker release nears

Laura O’Connell fears the release from prison of her stalker Sonya Egan in the coming months could mark the end of what she describes as a newfound peace and return to normality. Ms O'Connell is determined to use her voice to advocate for improved victim services

Laura O'Connell (pictured) has undergone counselling but admits that the thought of potentially seeing Sonya Egan again induces crippling anxiety. File picture: Larry Cummins

With just months remaining until her stalker’s release from prison, Laura O’Connell fears that her own sentence is just beginning. 

The mother of one is not confined by prison bars but rather an overpowering fear of reprisal and a potential return to being isolated. Isolation had previously been forced on the Cork woman by a bizarre and horrifying set of circumstances.