Derry man handed suspended sentence for 'clear case of stalking'
Conor O'Kane (36) of Carnhill in Derry admitted a charge of stalking on December 21, 2024
A Derry man has been given a suspended sentence for what a defence barrister described as a 'clear case of stalking'.
Conor O'Kane (36) of Carnhill in Derry admitted a charge of stalking on December 21, 2024.
The court heard that on that date police were called by the injured party who said O'Kane had entered her property uninvited.
The victim was described as being 'extremely distressed' and told police that she had ended a brief 4 week relationship with O'Kane in November.
She said that the defendant had become 'controlling' and tried to isolate her from her friends.
Following the breakup O'Kane had texted her 300 times in one day and left two post it notes on her door and he also sent 13 emails to the woman.
On December 21 the woman had been in bed with her child and gad 'a bad feeling' and observed the defendant entering her bedroom and then trying to pull her out of the bed.
She managed to get him out but he entered again and only left when she said she was phoning the police.
The victim was described as displaying 'fear and distress'.
Defence counsel Stephen Chapman said it was 'an odd reaction' to such a brief relationship.
He said it was clearly a case of stalking but added that the defendant had no record for this sort of behaviour.
District Judge Oonagh Mullan said that these type of offences were 'unfortunately all too common' and would have caused distress to the woman.
She sentenced O'Kane to four months in prison suspended for 18 months.