Kilkenny man harassed Offaly woman and then entered Westmeath Bachelor Festival

A KILKENNY contestant in this year's Westmeath Bachelor Festival has paid €5,000 to an Offaly woman he had been harassing in 2022.

John Coady (32) pleaded guilty at Tullamore District Court on October 11 to harassing a woman between May 11 and December 16 last year at Clonshanny Hill, Clara, Co Offaly.

Judge Andrew Cody said the woman should be compensated, or money given to charity if she wished, and he adjourned sentencing to October 25 for the payment of €5,000.

When the matter came before him again yesterday, Mr Coady's solicitor, Donal Farrelly, said his client had brought the €5,000 as a token of his regret.

The accused had gone to a psychotherapist to seek help with his social difficulties and he had a report on that in court.

Mr Farrelly said his client had been very smitten with the young lady but it seemed he had harassed her to the extent that she was extremely upset. He now had a new partner.

The holder of a degree in agricultural science, he had applied for a job and had also got involved in the bachelor of the year in Mullingar.

The solicitor added that Mr Coady's social skills had improved considerably, he had written a letter of apology and had a number of character references.

Sergeant Brendan Kearns told the court that the injured party would be accepting the compensation.

Judge Cody said he would be adjourning sentencing for a year to make sure there was no further offending.

He said the accused is not to contact the woman in any way and stressed the seriousness of the offence.

“I'm not sure you appreciated how serious it was when you were here a week or two ago,” the judge told the man. “Women, and even men, are entitled to go out and socialise.”

He remanded Mr Coady on continuing bail to appear in court again on October 23 next year, and made the bail conditional on there being no contact with the injured party and there being a “good report” from the man's psychotherapist with whom he is to continue engaging.

Mr Coady, from north Kilkenny, and with an address according to court records at Ryan's Pub, Clogh, was living on the family farm with his parents, the October 11 sitting of the court was told.

His solicitor said his client had found it difficult to develop relationships with women and had become infatuated with the injured party but he meant no harm.

He said he was in employment as an undertaker.

Mr Coady told the judge himself he was “an introvert” and “not a big mixer”.

“I am very sorry about my behaviour. I thought she was beautiful. I am not a dangerous person,” he said.

In a written statement the injured party said the defendant wouldn't leave her alone, following her to events where he wasn't invited or showing up at events where he wasn't expected and which were two-hour drives from where he lived.

She said his following of her over the several months felt relentless and unpleasant. “Because of his relentless actions of following me,” she wrote, “I suffered from sleepless nights, nightmares and was often looking over my shoulder. It had a bad mental effect on me.”