'Vulgar, cheap, malicious,' man who harassed female colleague ordered to pay €5k

Tom Tuite

A man who harassed a female colleague with "relentless" sexual innuendo in front of co-workers, driving her from her job, has been ordered to pay €5,000 compensation.

Judge Keenan Johnson imposed a two-year, six-month sentence at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, but suspended it, provided the accused does not reoffend in the next seven years.

The man had claimed it was "banter or slagging".

However, the judge lambasted him for his 'vulgar, cheap, malicious' comments to the woman, and told him his attitude was "a relic of the past with no place in polite society".

The judge added various terms to the sentence, ordering him to comply with 18 months' supervised probation, pay restitution in instalments through gardaí, and have no contact with his former colleague for at least 20 years.

Judge Johnson said the accused, who is now jobless following an accident, gave no thought to his victim.

He rebuked the man, who sat silently in the dock, for his derogatory smut.

The judge added that "he seemed interested only in his own misguided belief that others thought he was funny".

He had also said the case derived from a male culture where speaking disrespectfully of women "is excused by the manosphere and the likes of the Tates".

Previously, the victim spoke out, telling the court that the harassment was relentless, humiliating and degrading. It affected her professionally, psychologically and emotionally.

She detailed how she lost confidence and no longer felt safe working with males.

Judge Johnson praised her for pressing charges, saying her actions would show others in similar situations a pathway to justice.

The accused, in his 50s and married with children, is not being named to protect the complainant's anonymity.

He pleaded guilty to harassing the woman over several months in 2021.

The court heard the woman had upskilled to a new role in the company, after which the accused began making "comments of a sexual nature about her" at their workplace.

Often it took place in their canteen, where he said to her to "get down on your knees and start sucking". She was shocked and embarrassed, and put on earphones to avoid hearing him.

Five minutes later, another colleague came in, and the accused told that man that the victim was "just sucking me off" and he made a gesture as if he was zipping up his trousers.

Another time, he remarked that she must have had a fan club and, referring to another man, said: "Did you give him a blowie too?"

On another occasion, he mentioned to another colleague that she performed a sex act on him and that he left him "with a banana in his pants".

She repeatedly asked him to cut it out, and once when he called her blowjob lips, she said she needed it to stop, but he replied that "I'm only having a laugh". He also scoffed at other staff about wanting her to kiss another woman working there.

The woman sent a complaint to their employer, and he remained quiet for about two months until she heard him in the canteen saying to others, "Be careful what you say or you'll get reported".

He took to making insulting comments about her on social media after he learned she had been unsuccessful in a job application.

Later in the workplace, he commented to another man about her that she would leave him with a stiff banana.

Her brother spoke to the accused about his unacceptable comments, but the man was "putting it down to craic".

She then quit and got a new job, which she enjoys.

After being arrested, he said the harassment allegation was "bullshit".

While speaking to the investigating garda, he called the woman a poisonous bitch, an attention seeker who was using him as a scapegoat because she was leaving work.

Later, he posted a video on his social media account saying he wanted to apologise to her. It was played in court, and his defence counsel, Shane Geraghty, conceded that the apology seemed "hollow", while the judge branded it "cavalier and smug".

His counsel told the woman that his client had instructed him to apologise profusely on his behalf.

The accused had eight prior convictions; the most recent was in 2006 for assault causing harm, and the rest were for traffic offences.

The court heard he had a child with special needs; he was on the verge of being approved for social housing, which could be lost if he were jailed.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.