Waterford court: Judge says local man 'set out to destroy these people' in Coco's Law case
Judge Cheatle added reporting restrictions to protect the identities of the victims.
A couple in Waterford were subjected to a disturbing campaign of harassment and blackmail by their neighbour.
A man in his 30's pretended to be a woman online to manipulate and coerce his male neigbour into sharing intimate photos of himself.
Once the man learned of the deceit, the accused blackmailed him with the photos. He threatened to share the photos and contact his wife if he didn't deliver alcohol to his home. The offences occurred between 2018 and 2019.
In 2021, the victim's wife made an official complaint to Gardaí about the harassment, revealing screenshotted messages from social media between the accused and the victim.
A District Court Judge accepted jurisdiction in October 2025. The man was charged on two separate counts of harassment contrary to Section 10 (1) and (6) of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, as amended by Section 10 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Coco's Law).
The accused cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims.
In Waterford District Court, defence solicitor Ken Cunningham said the accused had no previous convictions, had a full-time job and was struggling with alcohol during the time of the offences.
"He never meant it to escalate it in the way it did. He was seeking intimacy and companionship," he said.
After reading the victim impact statements, Judge Cheatle said: "This campaign he waged against [the victims] was such, words just fail me. He set out to destroy these people."
The Judge passed two custodial sentences of 10 months, with the final count suspended.
