A Tyrone man who became obsessed with a female to the point he demanded she remove posts from her social media and threatened to self-harm if she didn’t, has been handed a Probation Order.
While Benjamin McReynolds (20) from Tamlaghtmore Road, Stewartstown was charged with blackmail, harassment and misusing a communications network, these were later replaced with a single count of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour which was accepted.
Dungannon Magistrates Court heard on July 15, 2024 a report was received from police in Scotland of potential harassment.
Prior to this the seventeen-year-old victim received a notification on Snapchat from McReynolds and they developed a “cordial, platonic relationship”.
This progressed to McReynolds claiming his family didn’t like him and frequently argued with him.
He became obsessive, informing the victim she could no longer post certain images of her face on social media stating, “I need you to take these pictures down. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.”
He followed this up with, “If you don’t remove them I will kill myself.”
The victim was very uneasy and spoke to her mother who told her to block McReynolds on all forums, which she did.
He then contacted the mother on social media having tracked her down through her work-based WhatsApp group.
In multiple messages McReynolds claimed to be suicidal because the victim blocked him.
In June 2024 McReynolds travelled to Scotland and the victim met with him for a time, but this made matters worse.
He travelled back the following month and managed to locate where she worked part-time, something she had never disclosed to him.
Police were called and he was arrested for threatening and abusive behaviour.
He appeared before Edinburgh Sheriff Court the following day and pleaded not guilty before being released on bail, but within hours attended the victim’s workplace with a bouquet of flowers.
Staff refused to confirm she worked there so McReynolds remained at the premises for five hours, before making his way to her house.
He was arrested again for breaching bail, appearing in court again but released under strict instructions not to leave Northern Ireland or to contact the victim or her mother.
Despite this on returning home McReynolds used different phone to make three calls to the victim and sent messages via Facebook,
He obtained another SIM card and sent 20 text messages the majority of which contained threats to kill himself if she didn’t contact him.
By this stage Scottish police contacted PSNI as the communication was coming from Northern Ireland.
When McReynolds first appeared in court a police officer stated: “He’s stopping at nothing and shows a total disregard for bail conditions. He’s obsessed and infatuated. This is an extremely worrying position. He has basically stuck up two fingers at bail conditions and the courts.”
Bail was refused on that occasion however was later freed by the High Court.
At the most recent sitting a defence barrister accepted the elements of offending were disturbing, but added all contact ceased ten months ago.
“The defendant got into a relationship which was platonic and became romantic. It went way over his head.… The Scottish court has banned him from life from contacting the victim.”
District Judge Francis Rafferty told McReynolds: “You’re not the first person to lose the run of themselves but understand you are to have no dealings with this woman ever again. It’s taken you a long time for the penny to drop.
“You made repeated and sustained attempts to contact her, made unannounced attendances, and disregarded police and court imposed sanctions.”
He imposed a Probation Order for two years adding, “Your future is in your own hands”.
