Latest news with #AntoinetteCunningham
The Journal
17-07-2025
- The Journal
Former head of garda group was ‘profoundly distressed' by online harassment, court hears
FORMER GENERAL SECRETARY of the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors (AGIS) Antoinette Cunningham has revealed in court how 'blatantly false, vile social media attacks' left her feeling profound distress and helplessness. Andrew McGovern, 38, of School Lane, Rathowen, Co. Westmeath, the man behind 'sinister' messages on Twitter, now X, was remanded on continuing bail pending sentencing by Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court today. McGovern pleaded guilty to a charge stating that he 'did distribute or publish a threatening or grossly offensive communication about Antoinette Cunningham with intent to cause harm.' The offence occurred in the Mullingar area from 16 to 30 March, 2023, while she was still head of the AGSI. The charge under section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 carries a possible six-month sentence at the District Court level. In November, McGovern failed to appear in court, resulting in a bench warrant for his arrest. He was later bailed again and a probation report was ordered. Dressed in a green and hooded black tracksuit and white runners and wearing a facemask throughout the hearing, McGovern sat silently on with his arms crossed. He will be sentenced on 4 September. Detective Sergeant Alan Farrelly of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation outlined the facts. He told the court that the first set of five direct messages was sent privately to the victim and made claims that she was his godmother. He maintained his father had told him before he died, and he remembered her when he was a little toddler in the 1990s, saying 'God mum, are you annoyed with me?'. Cunningham ignored the messages until she learned of a second set of 'more sinister' posts on his Twitter account about her and mentioning a person connected to her that were publicly accessible. They contained unfounded claims that allegations had been 'all swept under the carpet' and that his life had been ruined forever. When questioned by the detective sergeant, he never apologised and continued his story, even when various inconsistencies were pointed out to him. Advertisement He had one prior conviction for drink driving, which led to a road ban in 2008. In a victim impact statement, Cunningham addressed the court. She spoke out at her dismay at seeing 'blatantly false, vile, and completely shocking allegations' about her on social media. They mentioned her job, which she believed was an attempt 'to try and deliberately damage and discredit me'. Describing the posts as 'a demonstration of the very toxic side of social media,' she highlighted how the attacks violated her privacy and integrity, 'and my sense of personal well-being and peace of mind was fractured as a result of what happened'. The court heard she could not fathom why somebody would choose to post disturbing messages about her and to continue doing it. 'I felt helpless to defend myself or to receive the expected support from the social media platform; there was a personal vilification of me going on, and I was powerless, at that point, to do anything about it. 'The messages had a profoundly negative effect on me, they were filled with hate, disinformation, offensive content, lies and basely offensive matters.' Cunningham highlighted the added pressure of 'presenting a façade of normality' while dealing with the stress of the situation. She emphasised the urgency of speaking out, and had strong words for the social media platform, adding: 'To this day, I find it deeply upsetting that something that is a criminal offence in this country is not accepted as a breach of social media rules here.' Last year, Cunningham, from Limerick, announced her retirement after 33 years with An Garda Síochána and the AGSI. She has since moved on to become an employer relations executive with the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec). She made Irish policing history in 2018 when she became the first full-time female official in a Garda representative organisation and the first woman to serve at every executive level of the association. Judge Owens noted a probation report on McGovern referred to the possibility of a psychiatric assessment. However, she added that she was not going down that route because if McGovern was not going to engage with the process, it would be unfair to allow for no valid reason. Defence solicitor John Quinn told the court he needed to consult with his client over the contents of the report.
Irish Times
17-07-2025
- Irish Times
Former AGSI chief ‘profoundly distressed' by social media attacks, court hears
Former general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors (Agsi) , Antoinette Cunningham , has revealed in court how 'blatantly false, vile social media attacks' left her feeling profound distress and helplessness. Andrew McGovern (38), of School Lane, Rathowen, Co Westmeath, was remanded on continuing bail pending sentencing by Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court on Thursday. McGovern pleaded guilty to a charge stating that he 'did distribute or publish a threatening or grossly offensive communication about Antoinette Cunningham with intent to cause harm'. The messages were posted on Twitter , now called X . The offence occurred in the Mullingar area from March 16th to March 30th, 2023, while Ms Cunningham was still Agsi head. The charge under section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 carries a possible six-month sentence at District Court level. McGovern will be sentenced on September 4th. Det Sgt Alan Farrelly of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation told the court that the first set of five direct messages was sent privately to the victim and made claims that she was the accused's godmother. Ms McGovern claimed his father had told him this before he died and that he remembered her when he was a toddler in the 1990s. Ms Cunningham ignored the messages until she learned of a second set of 'more sinister' posts on McGovern's Twitter account about her. The posts mentioned a person connected to her and were publicly accessible. They contained unfounded claims that allegations had been 'all swept under the carpet' and that McGovern's life had been ruined. In a victim impact statement, Ms Cunningham spoke out at her dismay at seeing 'blatantly false, vile, and completely shocking allegations' about her on social media. They mentioned her job, which she believed was an effort to 'damage and discredit me'. Describing the posts as 'a demonstration of the very toxic side of social media', she highlighted how the attacks violated her privacy, 'and my sense of personal wellbeing and peace of mind was fractured as a result of what happened'. The court heard she could not fathom why somebody would choose to post disturbing messages about her and continue doing so. 'There was a personal vilification of me going on, and I was powerless, at that point, to do anything about it,' she said. 'The messages had a profoundly negative effect on me, they were filled with hate, disinformation, offensive content, lies and basely offensive matters.' Ms Cunningham was also critical of the social media platform. 'To this day, I find it deeply upsetting that something that is a criminal offence in this country is not accepted as a breach of social media rules here,' she said. Last year, Ms Cunningham, from Limerick, announced her retirement after 33 years with An Garda Síochána and the Agsi.
RTÉ News
17-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Former AGSI head 'felt helpless' after online harassment, court hears
Former General Secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors Antoinette Cunningham has said that "blatantly false and vile" material posted about her online has had a profoundly negative impact on her and her family. In a victim impact statement at Mullingar District Court today, Ms Cunningham said the messages, which were posted publicly and sent privately on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X, left her feeling helpless and powerless. 38-year-old Andrew McGovern, of School Lane, Rathowen, Co Westmeath previously pleaded guilty to harassing Ms Cunningham under Section 4 (1) and (3) of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. Ms Cunningham, was general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) when the offences happened over a two-week period in March 2023. Detective Sergeant Alan Farrell from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation told Mullingar District Court today that the first set of direct messages were sent privately and were ignored by Ms Cunningham. He said Ms Cunningham later learned of posts on Mr McGovern's Twitter account about her that were openly accessible containing unfounded claims and allegations being "all swept under the carpet" and his life being ruined. Detective Farrell said there was no truth in the content. At sentencing today, Judge Bernadette Owens heard that while the probation report had been received, Mr McGovern's solicitor John Quinn requested more time to discuss to it with his client. Judge Owens adjourned the case until 4 September for sentencing. Victim Impact Statement In a hard hitting victim impact statement, Antoinette Cunningham said the "lies, falsehoods and character destruction" posted online had a profoundly negative effect on her and her family. "The emotional impact of this crime on me was difficult, I still don't understand why a stranger decided to target me in this way" she said. "I felt a total violation of my privacy, my character, my integrity, and my sense of personal well-being and peace of mind was fractured as a result of what happened." Ms Cunningham outlined that she became aware of the allegations posted on a social media platform in March 2023. She said she tried to have the material removed but was advised by the social media platform that the material did not, in their view, 'violate their rules'." Ms Cunningham said "this added enormously to the upset and vulnerability" she felt. "I felt helpless to defend myself or to receive the expected support from the social media platform, there was a personal vilification of me going on, and I was powerless, at that point, to do anything about it." Ms Cunningham told the court that at the time of the incident, she held the position of general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, a job which carries a significant public profile and role. She spoke of how difficult it was, in such a busy and demanding job, "to present a façade of normality at work while at the same time trying to deal with this matter". Ms Cunningham said until today, she has remained a relatively voiceless victim of this crime, to fully respect the investigation and judicial process and she hopes by speaking out, she can encourage others to come forward. "Online harassment can happen to anyone, in any walk of life and this case, sadly, is a demonstration of the very toxic side of social media, that came into my everyday life and turned, what was a normal evening at home, into a process that is only ending now" The former AGSI General Secretary criticised the social media platform X saying she finds it "deeply upsetting that something that is a criminal offence in this country is not accepted as a breach of social media rules here". "I have chosen now, to speak to the court about this matter, to convey my sense of frustration at having to publicly expose myself again as I feel I have no other real choice," Ms Cunningham added. "To stay silent, I would be doing a disservice to myself but especially to my family and allowing behaviour like this to go unchallenged." "I genuinely feel it is my civic duty to speak up and voice how this has affected me, so that others may feel empowered to address similar situations and take action for their own safety and wellbeing" she said. Ms Cunningham also paid tribute to the gardaí involved in the investigation.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Irish Times
Man guilty of harassing prominent Garda representative with ‘offensive material'
A probation report is to be prepared on a man who has pleaded guilty to harassment with 'offensive material' of a woman who was general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi) at the time. Andrew McGovern (38), of School Lane, Rathowen, Co Westmeath, appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court on Thursday. He previously entered a guilty plea on a charge of distributing or publishing a 'threatening or grossly offensive communication' about Antoinette Cunningham 'with intent to cause harm' between March 16th and 30th, 2023. Ms Cunningham was the first woman to lead any of the Garda staff associations. Last year she retired from her roles with Agsi and the Garda after 33 years of service. READ MORE McGovern failed to show up for a sentencing hearing in March and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He was detained by gardaí the following week and granted bail pending the case coming before Judge Owens again on Thursday. The matter was adjourned for two months pending the preparation of a probation report, with sentence to be handed down on July 17th. Under the legislation, anyone guilty of the offence McGovern pleaded guilty to faces a fine and/or a term of imprisonment of up to six months. Ms Cunningham was present in court for the hearing, with a number of supporters. The court was told she was available to give her victim impact evidence, after having submitted it in written form in March, but that was also adjourned. Judge Owens said hearing Ms Cunningham's victim impact evidence would have 'more impact for me' if it was heard in July, when the probation report is also set to be available to the court. A Probation Service representative told the court the service was not aware a report was required for Thursday's hearing. Judge Owens accepted this was because a bench warrant for McGovern had been issued at the last brief hearing associated with the case in March.
RTÉ News
15-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Man in court for offensive communication about then AGSI head
A 38-year-old man has appeared before Mullingar District Court charged with distributing or publishing a grossly offensive communication about the then general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, Antoinette Cunningham. Andrew McGovern, from School Lane in Rathowen, Co Westmeath, was charged with distributing or publishing a threatening or grossly offensive communication about Ms Cunningham with the intent to cause her harm between the 16 and 30 March 2023, contrary to Section 4 (1) and (3) of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. He appeared in court before Judge Bernadette Owens, who heard that a probation report directed on the 14 November last was not yet available in relation to Mr McGovern. The judge heard the injured party had attended court on every occasion and that she was keen that the facts of the case be heard and that her Victim Impact Statement be read to the court. Judge Owens said she appreciated this and she was not trying to be awkward, but she would prefer everything to be heard together. The case has been put back until 17 July when the full details will be heard.
