Online abuser of BBC reporter Aileen Moynagh given probation order

Aileen Moynagh, who works for BBC News NI, was subjected to abusive and threatening messages for months

An 18-year-old from Dublin has been handed a two-year probation supervision order for sustained online harassment of a BBC journalist.

In September 2021, he admitted harassing BBC News NI's Aileen Moynagh over a five-month period.

In February, when he was 17, a deferred six-month detention order was made at Dublin Children's Court.

Now that he is an adult, he faced sentencing and was given the probation supervision order on Wednesday.

The youth could not previously be identified because of his age, and following submissions by his lawyer, the judge ruled he still should not be named because the case commenced when he was a minor.

During the hearing, Judge Paul Kelly remarked that there were "stark" contents in a pre-sentence Probation Service report that the youth posed a risk to the community.

However, he also accepted that incarceration would not help him.

Unwanted communications

The court heard the teen stalked the BBC reporter online after developing an "obsessive crush".

He had been previously cautioned about similar trolling of two RTÉ journalists and had an "unhealthy interest" in women journalists.

Detective Garda Ken McGreevy said the boy, then aged 16, sent a litany of unsolicited and unwanted communications to Ms Moynagh via email, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Despite being warned by gardaí (Irish police) not to contact Ms Moynagh, he travelled to Belfast and was a few hundred yards from her workplace.

Out of fear, she moved out of her house for five days and was concerned about her movements.

The offences happened between October 2020 and February 2021.

A psychiatric report stated he had no remorse; he was at high risk of re-offending, violence and continued stalking.

In addition, it detailed how the boy was a "disabled, isolated, lonely and sometimes an angry young man" and presented "unique challenges".

'Harrowing'

Previously, Judge Kelly described Ms Moynagh's victim impact statement as "harrowing".

He also noted the heartache of the boy's father, who had told the court he had spent years trying to get specialist help for his son.

The court heard that the youth has now agreed to take a specific medication recommended which the judge said was progress.

The youth had no further charges pending though concerns were raised about recent, but non-threatening, messages to two young women.

One declined to make a statement, and the other woman's complaint did not amount to harassment.

Judge Kelly noted he could no longer activate the deferred juvenile detention order and imposed a two-year probation bond with conditions.

He warned the teen he must engage with his probation officer and mental health services, take medication as directed by his treating doctor, continue education and use his free time constructively.

He praised investigating officer Detective Garda McGreevy and wished the youth's "devastated" mother well, adding she had done all she could.

Re-offending or breaking the terms could result in the case being re-opened with the risk of a jail term.

However, Judge Kelly added that he sincerely hoped that would not happen.