Partner bound to peace for sending text to man’s ex
The charge against a man of sending an abusive text to his ex-partner was dismissed but his present partner was bound to the peace after she claimed she was the one who sent the text from his phone.
The full content of the colourful text was read out a number of times at Cork District Court yesterday.
It stated: “Was just down your pissy apartment, ya dirty smelly dying dog. All your talk, you do this you do that to Kia. Why didn’t you open the door there ya shitty smelly yolk. You think you did good by putting the status up. Want to know what time you’re back. This needs to be sorted out ya sick tramp. Keyboard warrior. Watch. Just watch.”
Keith Naughton, aged 38, denied the charge under the Domestic Violence Act that he contravened a safety order in that he sent an abusive text message to Leona Morey which put her in fear.
The background was that on August 11, Leona Morey, aged 32, who lives at an apartment at Libertas Villas, Blackrock Rd, Cork, attended at Blackrock Garda Station and made a written complaint against her ex-partner, Keith Naughton, of 1 Briarcourt, Shanakiel, that she received a text from him before 6pm on August 7 that she found threatening.
When he was originally charged and cautioned, he replied: “I did not send that abusive message. She could easily change the number to mine on that message.”
In the course of evidence, Mr Naughton stated that he did not send the message but that his girlfriend, Kia O’Connor, used his phone to send the message.
O’Connor yesterday said her phone was broken and she used her boyfriend’s phone to send the text.
Sergeant John Kelleher asked O’Connor why she referred to herself as Kia and not in the first person in the text. She said: “I wanted her to think the message came from him. I wanted to put the frighteners on her.”
She blamed the other woman for commenting on Facebook about members of her (O’Connor’s) family.
During O’Connor’s evidence, Judge Olann Kelleher had to warn her about her behaviour. At one stage there was an exchange of words between Ms Morey in the back of the court and O’Connor in the witness box.
At another stage, Judge Kelleher told O’Connor: “Stop rameshing.” He said he could not believe her.
The judge bound O’Connor to the peace for a year and to have no contact with Ms Morey. He dismissed the charge facing Mr Naughton.
“I am dismissing the charge against Keith Naughton,” the judge said.
