'Your harassment was vindictive': Cork woman subjected teen to 'reign of terror'

A 14-year-old girl was subjected to a “reign of terror” by a woman 25 years older than her who repeatedly called her ‘fatty’ and even turned up outside her school to harass her – causing the victim to experience such severe anxiety that she took to extreme dieting and self-harm.

The accused woman, Vanessa Ryan of 1 Shanavine, Youghal, County Cork, was told that the seriousness of the case merited two years in jail but because of mitigating factors, Judge John Martin said he would impose a 15-month fully suspended sentence.

As a term of the suspension of the sentence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin ordered that she or any third party acting on her behalf would have no contact of any kind with the injured party or any member of her family for the next two years.

“By the age of 14 the victim was for 18 months subjected to an ongoing campaign of harassment by a woman 25 years her senior who relentlessly pursued her causing her to develop an eating disorder, anxiety issues where she could not walk quickly enough around the roads.

“I find it inexplicable. Your harassment was conscious, deliberate and vindictive,” Judge Martin said.

Defence barrister said William Bulman said on behalf of the 41-year-old, “She asked me to apologise unreservedly to the injured party. She apologises for the way she harassed her. It was wrong, she shouldn’t have done it.” 

Judge Martin said an aggravating factor in the case was the fact that the guards warned her to stop the harassment and she did not. Another aggravating factor was the nature of the consequences for the injured party.

In her victim impact statement, the teenager said, “From the age of 13 she started calling me fat. I lost so many friends because I did not want to go out. I stopped eating. I couldn’t sleep. I had nightmares about her. I started to self-harm. She would park outside my school. The guards did tell her to stop. The last four years were a living hell. All I want is to know why and I would like an apology.” 

Garda Alan Murphy said the harassment charge, to which Vanessa Ryan pleaded guilty, referred to a period from February 2 2020 to September 24 2021.

“Vanessa Ryan had been harassing her on a continuous basis, making constant derogatory, aggressive comments over an 18-month period, calling her ‘fatty’. Vanessa Ryan videoed her and photographed her. (The injured party) was in fear of appearing in public.” 

Garda Murphy testified that the harassment by the accused occurred mostly when the teenage girl was on her own.

By order of the court the injured party cannot be identified but the accused can be named. 

Judge Martin was told that there was no family connection between the parties.