Cork teen who harassed another teenager released to sit Leaving Cert exams

A teenager who harassed and threatened to kill another teenager was released from custody yesterday so that he could sit his Leaving Cert — but with the strict warning not to the victim, her family, or even to use social media for any purpose.

Judge Sinead Behan said she could not make it clearer for Rory Lally: “If you this girl, I will put you in jail.”

The judge released the young man from custody and adjourned the case until June 30.

“If you this girl or her family, the guards are going to bring you back in, and I am going to send you to jail,” Judge Behan said.

Defence barrister Elaine Audley said Lally would need access to the internet for study purposes to prepare for the Leaving Cert.

The judge said he could have such access, supervised by his father or another appropriate adult.

Detective Sergeant Pat Lyons said the defendant’s family were very ive and did their best by him.

Ms Audley said the young man was prescribed medication as a result of an autism diagnosis, but added that one of the medicines was replaced with a generic version — which had an adverse effect on him.

Ms Auley raised this in the context of four communications which the accused had by phone with the victim and her father, in the weeks following his release from a sentence for harassment.

Breach

That breach in the conditions of a suspended portion of his sentence resulted in him spending the last few weeks back in jail until his release yesterday. In one text, he said: “I’m out now and I’m coming for you.”

Now aged 20, Rory Lally, of Wainsfort, Rochestown, Cork, originally received a sentence of two years — the second year being suspended on condition that he would not the victim directly or indirectly.

Lally got into the witness box at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, and said: “I guarantee everyone I won’t be in this situation again. 1) I don’t want to do it to her [the victim]. 2) I cannot do any more prison.”

Last year, Lally pleaded guilty to harassment of the teenager when she was 17 and he was approximately a year older.

Detective Garda Pat Connery said the injured party started communicating with Lally on social media in April 2023. In June 2023, the pair met at a concert in Cork.

However, she felt uncomfortable with him at the concert and, soon afterwards, told him by phone to stop calling her. She went on to block him on social media.

ed

He ignored this and continued to her, causing her such concern that she ed gardaí in July 2023, and they ed Lally and told him to desist. The messaging continued, however.

She complained to gardaí in October, and they approached him once more and told him to stop ing her. By November 2023, Lally was telling her he did not care if she ed gardaí and that he would do life in prison. She ed the gardaí again in December, and he sent voice messages threatening to kill her.

Det Gda Connery went to Lally’s home: “I told him I was investigating the complaint against him. While I was in the house, he sent further threatening messages to her.

“He said he was obsessed with the injured party. He itted sending her messages. He said he would not physically harm her. He had to be brought before a special sitting of Cork District Court on Christmas Eve.”