Jilted ex-boyfriend avoids jail for Facebook post on woman's account
A Donegal man has avoided a jail term for criminal damage to his ex-girlfriend’s Facebook page after he admitted posting an offensive “status update” on it.
The man (30) was acquitted by a jury last month of raping and falsely imprisoning the woman in her home on the same date.
It is the first prosecution for criminal damage to a social media account. The man was charged under the Criminal Damage Act 1991 which carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a €10,000 fine. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan asked how he was supposed to assess the damage if nothing had physically been broken. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions replied that the offence had more in common with harassment than criminal damage and that the harm was reputational rather than monetary.
