An autistic woman who harassed a former colleague’s wife has been spared jail for one year to see how she gets on in the community while continuing with her medication and treatment.
Gráinne O'Toole (41) had been diagnosed with autism and obsessive persecution delusions but was remanded in custody last July after she again tweeted about her victim.
The court was told at the original sentence hearing that O’Toole made over 310 abusive texts, calls and tweets to Jennifer Doran, with an average 35 calls a day during one month.
O'Toole of Willow Park Grove, Glasnevin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to harassing Ms Doran between October 1, 2011 and February 2, 2012.
Judge Patrick McCartan today said he was adjourning the sentence for one year to allow O’Toole continue with her treatment and her college studies in the community.
He acknowledged that everyone wants to help O’Toole but said he had to also consider her victim, who suffered “utterly unforgivable and indefensible infringement of her rights and privacy.”
The judge warned that this is a last chance and O’Toole would be back in prison if she reoffends in the next 12 months.
Consultant psychiatrist Sean O’Domhnaill revealed that he was “taken aback” by how much O’Toole had improved in her appearance and demeanour when he met her in prison last week.
The doctor told Cathal McGreal BL, defending, that O’Toole engaged in a “quiet, co-operative and pleasant way” with was “diametrically opposed” to how she had presented before custody.
He said she was taking her medication and said her offending behaviour with Ms Doran was “history now.”
Judge McCartan put the matter back until October 2015 and said he would conclude the case then.
He told Ms Geraldine Small, BL, prosecuting, that there was liberty to re-enter the case before that date if Ms O’Toole began re-offending.
Ms Doran, a marketing consultant, earlier told the court that on April 23 and May 22 last, O’Toole tweeted about her a total of 17 times to recipients including business contacts and media outlets.
She also said O’Toole had screamed and shouted at her outside court.
Ms Doran told Judge McCartan that O’Toole had threatened to persecute her for the rest of her life.
“She is obviously not well but I have done nothing to deserve this,” said Ms Doran.
In July 2013 Garda Noel Murray told the court that O’Toole had been working in Meridian VAT International in Tallaght.
Her supervisor Colm Doran had a meeting with O'Toole over personnel issues, which he regarded as favourable. However soon afterwards he started getting “inappropriate phone contact” and a number of unwanted gifts from O’Toole.
O'Toole ultimately resigned from her job, but became fixated with Mr Doran and more particularly with his wife, whom she had never met nor seen.
Judge McCartan said O'Toole had engaged in a “campaign of harassment” against an entirely innocent person which had adversely impacted on the private, business and personal lives of the victim, her husband and her parents.
He said the whole episode was grounded in the fact that the victim's husband, who had been a supervisor of O'Toole's in work, had showed some kindness towards her.
Mr McGreal referred to comments in an updated medical report outlining that O’Toole knew what she was doing was wrong after she had acted impulsively.
Mr McGreal had submitted that O’Toole’s delusion was that Ms Doran caused all the pain in her life.
He said, as she is currently “medically compliant” and receiving treatment, there is optimism that there will be an end to this once and for all.
