IN EXCESS of a 100 residents from the village of Clonlara were present at Limerick District Court ready to give evidence against a HSE official who, it was alleged, had been harassing her neighbours for several years. Lavinia O’Shea, 44, from Lisduff, Clonlara, was before the court answering summonses and one public order charge after her neighbours sought to bring actions against her for her conduct.
Seven summonses relating to breaches of the peace, and one charge under section 6 of the Public Order Act, were put to the accused woman after gardai received several complaints relating to incidents in the county Clare village in 2010.
Aidan Judge, prosecuting State solicitor, told the court that Lavinia O’Shea, in 2010 and for years before, was harassing her neighbours, besetting their homes with emails, phone calls and making rude and inappropriate gestures.
Details were also given where Ms O’Shea, who holds a senior position with the HSE in the Mid West, sent an email to the employer of one of her neighbours that nearly resulted in a young man losing his job.
The entire neighbourhood, according to Mr Judge, turned up in court to give evidence against Ms O’Shea, such was the upset her actions to date had caused.
It was also heard that, in contrast to the proceedings before the court, over 70 emails were sent to gardai in relation to alleged complaints that Ms O’Shea made against her neighbours.
These complaints made by Ms O’Shea were said to have been “without foundation”.
Ms O’Shea took to the stand and gave an undertaking not to communicate in any way with the complainants and neighbours involved and to stop contacting gardai, including Superintendent Frank O’Brien, in relation to the proceedings or alleged unfounded complaints.
Judge Aeneas McCarthy adjourned the matter for 12 months.
