A man has been jailed for seven months for “vile social media attacks” against the former general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi).
Andrew McGovern (38), of School Lane, Rathowen, Co Westmeath, received the sentence at Mullingar District Court on Thursday for posting “sinister” and “blatantly false” material about Antoinette Cunningham on Twitter, now X.
Judge Bernadette Owens said McGovern’s apology, delivered through his lawyer, came after he stood by his messages, showed no regret or shame, and attempted to claim he was the victim.
[ Former AGSI chief ‘profoundly distressed’ by social media attacksOpens in new window ]
McGovern pleaded guilty to a charge of distributing or publishing a threatening or grossly offensive communication about Ms Cunningham with intent to cause harm.
RM Block
The offence occurred in the Mullingar area between March 16th and 30th, 2023, while Ms Cunningham was still working with Agsi, and involved five private messages and two publicly viewable messages.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Cunningham told of her dismay at seeing “blatantly false, vile, and completely shocking allegations” about her on social media. They mentioned her job, which she believed was “to try and deliberately damage and discredit me”.
She described the posts as “a demonstration of the very toxic side of social media”, said they violated her privacy and integrity, and that her sense of “personal wellbeing and peace of mind was fractured as a result of what happened”.
Defence solicitor Diarmiud Quinn said McGovern “got the wrong end of the stick” and failed to realise the distress he caused. He said his client now accepts the harm he caused.
The solicitor said McGovern was on medication for psychological issues and psychotic episodes and had deleted all his social media accounts.
However, the judge noted McGovern failed to engage with a psychiatric assessment to address his underlying problems. She also considered how he had told his probation officer that he stood over his posts and messages.
The judge imposed a 10-month sentence but suspended the final three months on condition that McGovern, who had one prior conviction for drink-driving, did not reoffend for two years.
