A teenager has been remanded in custody for an alleged obsessive campaign against a female culminating in blackmail leaving her “absolutely terrified.”
Benjamin McReynolds (19) with an address of Tamlaghtmore Road in Stewartstown is charged with blackmail, harassing a female, misusing a communications network by sending false messages and engaging in a course of abusive behaviour.
A police officer aware of the facts of the case told Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court the charges could be connected.
He explained on July 15 a report was received from police in Scotland of potential harassment.
Prior to this on, April 1, the seventeen-year-old injured party 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 injured party 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 injured party 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 injured party blocked him.
In June, McReynolds travelled to Scotland and the injured party met with him for a time, but this made matters worse.
He travelled back on July 27 and managed to locate where the injured party 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 injured party’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 on July 29, but released under strict instructions not to leave Northern Ireland or to contact the injured party or her mother.
Despite this, on returning home, McReynolds used a different phone to make three calls to the injured party 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.
Objecting to bail, the officer, said: “The injured party and her mother are absolutely terrified. He’s stopping at nothing and shows a total disregard for bail conditions. He’s obsessed and infatuated.
“This is an extremely worrying position and police don’t believe he can be managed in the community. He has basically stuck up two fingers at bail conditions and the courts.”
A defence barrister accepted the charges were serious but described the case as highly unusual.
“This was a platonic relationship which became romantic. The defendant obviously took it very badly when it ended. However, he could sign daily with police and be banned from possessing any phone, both of which would geographically dislocate him from the injured party.”
However, District Judge Alana McSorley refused, stating: “Despite previous bail conditions he continued to contact the injured party so I’m not satisfied he can be released.”
McReynolds will appear again by video-link at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on September 4.
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