A young woman has been left “vulnerable and fearful” after a campaign of stalking was allegedly triggered when she smiled at a customer in her workplace.
Tiernan McKenna (37) from Main Street, Pomeroy is charged with engaging in stalking conduct to cause the complainant fear, alarm or substantial distress between May and September 9.
A detective sergeant told Strabane Magistrates’ Court the charge could be connected.
He explained the complainant reported being consistently “harassed and followed to her place of work and home” by the defendant.
On the first occasion he approached the complainant in her Dungannon workplace and engaged in a conversation, noting, “he hadn’t expected her to smile at him.”
He “leaned in close and asked her name and where she lived” and that evening her neighbours said a male had arrived earlier, asking to confirm if she lived there.
Suspicious of this, the neighbours said she didn’t.
Several days later the complainant observed McKenna staring at her in work.
He had chocolates for her but when another staff member appeared he became agitated, stating: “I may as well take these for myself” before walking off.
McKenna was described as “angry and frustrated”.
The complainant then received a Facebook friend request from a Martin Doherty which she declined, but numerous messages came in from the account leaving her “scared and uneasy”.
She believed these to be from McKenna and asked to be left alone or she would contact police.
It transpired friend requests containing a profile picture of the complainant, were also sent to her brother and two sisters, which they knew was not her account.
She also received messages to her Instagram account purporting to be work colleagues stating she was very pretty.
In August, the complainant’s supervisor told her that the company’s head office in England had received over 40 reviews complimenting her and flowers had arrived for her.
McKenna was arrested and during interview confirmed going to the complainant’s workplace in May, stating she “looked very pretty and had a nice smile.”
He said she provided her name and address and they messaged over several days, meeting twice face-to-face, and claiming to have given her £30.
Engagement dwindled and he assumed she wanted nothing more to do with him.
In late June McKenna said he lost his phone and had no contact since.
But the complainant’s neighbours confirmed McKenna was outside her property in July, again asking if she lived there.
He thereafter replied no comment to all, except for getting “extremely angry and agitated” on hearing the complainant described him as overweight.
“He clenched his fists and was really annoyed,” said the detective.
Opposing bail, the detective said McKenna was cautioned for harassment in 2020, and has been on bail since September 5 while enquiries are conducted into similar behaviour against a different female last year.
In that instance unwanted social media messages were sent and the female was followed home from her place of work.
In addition, another four complainants have come forward, some of whom are ex-partners of McKenna setting out concerns about his behaviour.
The detective said: “We are genuinely concerned about the escalating in this obsession with this complainant and if released he may continue to stalk her. She feels very vulnerable and fearful of violence. She has not been able to go to work since last month and her colleagues are very worried about her.”
A defence barrister urged bail to be granted assuring all conditions would be adhered to.
However Deputy District Judge Austin Kennedy remarked: “There’s a pattern of behaviour developing which must stop and the only way I can ensure that is by remanding in custody.”
McKenna will appear again by video-link at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on October 9.
