A man has pleaded guilty to issuing threats on social media to kill or cause serious harm to Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family just over a year ago.
Patrick Grealish (49), of Garraí an Choirce, Lettermullen, Co Galway, appeared before Derrynea District Court on Tuesday, entering his guilty plea.
He first appeared before Judge Gerard Furlong at a special sitting of Galway District Court in August, 2024, four days after the alleged threats were made on social media, at a time when Mr Harris was Taoiseach.
Mr Grealish has been remanded on bail since then, which was extended after entering the guilty plea at Tuesday’s court appearance.
RM Block
He has been remanded on continuing bail to appear at Derrynea District Court on December 12th next for pre-sanction probation report.
Mr Grealish is accused of making a threat to kill or cause harm to Mr Harris and his family on August 4th, 2024. The court was told the offence under section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, carries a sentence of up to 10 years on conviction.
At the initial court appearance in August last year, Det Sgt Eamonn O’Neill of the Special Detective Unit told the court he arrested Mr Grealish the previous day and charged him at Galway Regional Garda Headquarters. When invited to reply to the charge, Mr Grealish said, “no thanks”.
Det Sgt O’Neill objected to bail on several grounds, including the serious nature of the offence, that it related to a member of Government, and that the alleged offence of threatening to kill or cause serious harm was being taken “very seriously”.
Det Sgt O’Neill added that Mr Grealish was caught “red-handed” with the device allegedly used to post the offending message. The court was informed that the accused man had co-operated with the gardaí when he was first arrested. He was also the sole carer for his elderly mother and had his own health problems.
Mr Grealish, who is on social welfare, was granted bail on condition he strictly abide by conditions set down by the court, including staying off social media. He also undertook at the August, 2024, hearing to have no contact with the injured party, including online.
Mr Grealish also agreed to surrender his passport and not apply for new travel documents, to reside at his home, to be of good behaviour at all times, to provide gardaí with a contactable phone number, to observe a curfew of 11pm-7am and to appear at all court sittings in relation to this matter.
