A Richhill man who left a number of voicemails for his ex-partner, some of which were “aggressive and nasty”, has been fined £300.
James Neill (48), of Main Street, appeared before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse, charged with persistent improper use of communications.
The court was told that on July 10 this year, police attended the home of the injured party who reported ongoing issues with her ex-partner. She alleged that over the previous number of days, the defendant had been calling her mobile and leaving her voicemails, some of which had been “aggressive and nasty”.
From July 7, the defendant had left the injured party five voicemail messages, saying that he wanted her back and that he would be coming to her home address.
These voicemails also captured the defendant calling her a “b***h” and a “d***head”.
On July 10, she was out for a walk when the defendant showed up and began to follow her. She told him to go away but he said that he would “get her back”.
The defendant was arrested for improper use of communications and admitted to leaving the messages.
A defence solicitor told the court that his client, who formerly worked as a lorry driver, had made no further contact since that date.
He added that the defendant wished for the relationship to be “reignited” but accepted that he made “inappropriate comments”.
He also noted that the defendant now accepts the calls “would have been distressing to her” but argued that they were of a “relatively non-threatening nature”.
District Judge Anne Marshall commented: “It may not be the worst case in terms of the messages that have been sent… These matters do cause a great deal of distress to the person making the complaint to the police.”
She imposed a fine of £300, alongside the £15 offender levy, giving the defendant 16 weeks to pay.
A restraining order was also imposed for a period of one year, stating that he must not harass, intimidate or pester the injured party.
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