A man repeatedly attempted to disrupt an online vigil held in memory of Ashling Murphy by exposing himself and appearing to masturbate on camera.
The online vigil was organised on the video call platform Zoom, according to The Irish Times, and was attended by around 90 women on Sunday evening.
The killing of 23-year-old teacher Ms Murphy in Tullamore last week has caused widespread anger and shock in Ireland and beyond, with tens of thousands of people attending vigils in recent days.
During the online vigil held on Sunday, the man joined the call while falsely using the name of one of the event’s organisers through a link to the event which was posted on social media.
The man, whose face was not visible on his camera, exposed himself and appeared to masturbate for several minutes before he was removed from the online event, one attendee said.
The man then attempted to re-join the Zoom call several times, and was quickly removed again each time.
Incident reported
The virtual event was organised for people who are at high-risk from Covid-19 infection and others unable to attend in-person vigils.
Organisers have reported the incident to Zoom, requesting information from the video call platform about the account used by the man.
A number of women who attended the virtual event are also planning to report the matter to An Garda Síochána.
Several women gave speeches at the event, including singer Emma Langford, Traveller activist Rose Marie Maughan and poet Kathy D’Arcy.
It comes as campaigners have said that more must be done to tackle domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence in Ireland in the wake of Ms Murphy’s murder.
Gardaí are still hunting for the killer of Ms Murphy, who was found dead after going for a run on the banks of the Grand Canal in Tullamore.
Officers have identified a new person of interest – who is believed to be in hospital in the Dublin region receiving treatment – and are waiting to speak to him.
A complaint from another woman, who said she was followed on the same canal path hours before the murder, is still being investigated.
Ms Murphy’s funeral will take place on Tuesday at St Brigid’s Church, Mountbolus, in Co Offaly.
Unions including the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, and Teachers’ Union Ireland have urged schools and colleges across Ireland to observe a minute’s silence at 11am the same day.
