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26/08/05 - You're no hard man, judge tells author
Rutland & Stamford Mercury
A CRIME author who sent threatening text messages was spared jail after a judge mocked his efforts to portray himself as a hard man. Last Friday a court heard 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 were pretty violent in your youth, but now I don't see signs of a hard man. I think you have puffed up your reputation to sell books."
O'Mahoney, of Market Deeping, pleaded guilty to two charges of harassment between April 27 and May 1. The 45-year-old has written a number of books on Essex gangsters and four months ago published a book about London nail bomber David Copeland Called Hateland, it was based on correspondence with former neo-Nazi Copeland that O'Mahoney obtained by posing as an infatuated girl fan.
Lincoln Crown Court gave O'Mahoney 150 hours' community punishment and a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victims of his threats. His friend, Adrian Foster, 34, of East Cobgate, Moulton, near Spalding, admitted two charges of harassment and was given the same sentence.
Foster was upset at the breakdown of his relationship with Kirsty Jones, and the fact she had started seeing another man, James Cotton. He drowned his sorrows with O'Mahoney in a pub, where the author agreed to help him get back some of his belongings from Ms Jones.
O'Mahoney was already involved in a dispute over flooring work Mr Cotton had carried out for him, the court heard. Sean Hale, prosecuting, said O'Mahoney used his reputation to intimidate the couple.
In the first of the threatening messages 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 flooring work, claiming he would charge £500 a day in interest, and told him: "Ring the police about me and you're history."
Stephen Spence, for O'Mahoney, said the writer was in an emotional and distressed state at the time after the sudden death of his wife. He spent three months on remand in custody before being granted bail, and is now working as a tipper driver.
Catarina Sjolin, in mitigation for Foster, said he was 'a mild-mannered man' who had since apologised for the upset and fear he had caused. |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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