Magherafelt man appears before Derry Magistrates Court charged with harassment of his ex partner

A man has appeared in Derry Magistrates Court charged with harassment of his ex partner.

John Gallagher, 38, of Meeting House Lane in Magherafelt, was charged with harassing his former partner across various social media platforms between October 3 to 11 this year.

Gallagher also has a number of previous convictions of a similar nature in relation to the same woman.

When interviewed by police, Gallagher admitted to contacting the victim 'five or six times' under various names but claimed he 'didn't realise it was harassment'.

Defence solicitor Stephen Atherton told the court that Gallagher has had five year break between offences and that this latest incident was due to a recent relapse with alcohol. 

District Judge Barney McElhom released him on bail under conditions including no possession of a mobile phone, no access to social media and no contact with the victim.