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23/08/05 - Crime author spared jail for harassment
Lincolnshire Free Press
A CRIME author who sent threatening text messages has been spared jail after a judge mocked his efforts to portray himself as a "hard man". A court heard how Bernard O'Mahoney used his supposed notoriety as a man with links to organised crime to terrorise a friend's former partner.
But Judge Jonathan Teare, sentencing him for the harassment campaign, poured scorn on the writer, telling him: "You have a reputation as a thug. "You were pretty violent in your youth but now I don't see the signs of a hard man. I think you have puffed up your reputation to sell books.
Mr O'Mahoney (45), of Market Deeping, pleaded guilty to two charges of harassment between April 27 and May 1. At Lincoln Crown Court on Friday he was given 150 hours' community punishment and a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victims of his threats.
His friend, 34-year-old Adrian Foster, of East Cobgate, Moulton, also admitted two charges of harassment and was given the same sentence.
Mr Foster was upset at the breakdown of his relationship with his girlfriend Kirsty Jones and the fact that she had started seeing another man, James Cotton. He drowned his sorrows with Mr O'Mahoney in a local pub, where the author agreed to help him get back some of his belongings from Ms Jones.
Mr O'Mahoney was himself already involved; in a dispute over some flooring work that Mr Cotton had carried out for him, the court heard. Mr Sean Hale, prosecuting, said Mr O'Mahoney used his reputation to intimidate the couple in an "extremely frightening and intimidatory" manner.
He said: "He had a reputation for violence in his past and, in particular, he made it known he had not been averse to using threats to recover debts."
The court heard that in the first of the threatening messages Mr O'Mahoney texted Mr Cotton to warn him: "You're playing a dangerous game, son." He later demanded £1,000 from Mr Cotton for the disputed flooring work, claiming he would charge £500 a day in interest until paid.
He subsequently texted Mr Cotton again, threatening to ruin his business and telling him: "Ring the police about me and you're history." Mr Hale said Ms Jones later received a phone call in which Mr O'Mahoney told her: "Tell your boyfriend that I'll slit his throat if he goes to the police."
She also received text messages from both Mr O'Mahoney - who "made it clear that he had gangland connections" - and Mr Foster. Mr Stephen Spence, defending Mr O'Mahoney, said the writer was in an emotional and distressed state at the time after the sudden death of his wife.
He added: "His judgement was clouded. Because of his literacy skills, his reputation goes before him. The reality doesn't bear that out." The court was told Mr O'Mahoney, who spent three months on remand in custody before being granted bail, is now working as a tipper driver.
Catarina Sjolin, in mitigation for Mr Foster, said he was a "mild-mannered man" who had since apologised for the upset and fear he had caused.
Mr O'Mahoney has written books on Essex gangsters and four months ago published a book about London nail bomber David Copeland. Entitled Hateland, it was based on correspondence with former neo-Nazi Mr Copeland that Mr O'Mahoney obtained by posing as an infatuated girl fan.
After the hearing Ms Jones claimed the issue involving debt collection did not happen and was used as a means to justify the suffering she and her partner endured. She also criticised the sentence of 150 hours' community punishment.
Ms Jones added: I m not happy with it. I think for the nine months of hell and being told we were going to have our throats slit it's not enough." She said she would like to have seen the two jailed for nine months. |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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