Politics

Lorraine Higgins to tell gardaí about new threats by man

Labour Senator says man sent her email last week saying he would burn her house down

Senator Lorraine Higgins at Pearse Street Garda station: she is making another statement to gardaí over a man which she says continues to threaten her. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
Senator Lorraine Higgins at Pearse Street Garda station: she is making another statement to gardaí over a man which she says continues to threaten her. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
Sarah Bardon
Tue Aug 25 2015 - 01:00

Labour Senator Lorraine Higgins is to make a further statement to gardaí this week after claiming a man who previously sent her death threats said he was following her.

Ms Higgins said she received an email last week from the same person she had recently reported to An Garda Síochána for threatening her life. In the email, he told Ms Higgins he would burn her house down and shoot her.

She said he told her he had passed her on a street in Dublin and claimed he was “so close it is unreal”. The email went into detail about how he watched her in Loughrea, Co Galway, on another occasion.

He also claimed he had been training with his rifle and wanted to ensure his “aim is at its peak when the time is right”.

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Death threats

“In this one, it is clear he has been stalking me. He had come to Loughrea,” she said. “I rarely go into my office on my way back from Dublin but he made reference to the fact that I was in it on a particular day.”

In the previous correspondence, he warned he would “get her” and included a link to a YouTube video of a shooting.

The latest email said he hoped Ms Higgins was enjoying the bit of fame and publicity she has had on the back of the death threats. Ms Higgins contacted gardaí at Pearse Street in Dublin, who had been dealing with the initial complaints, late last week.

She intends to make a further complaint to gardaí in the coming days about the latest email which she says suggests instances of stalking and harassment.

Curbing abuse

A man has been questioned by gardaí in Dublin in relation to the threats but no arrests have been made. “I do feel a total sense of relief that the gardaí have found him and questioned him. I hope there will be a prosecution and justice will take its course,” she said. “This guy is out there roaming the streets. While he might target me for some physical harm there is nothing to stop him doing harm in the interim.”

A Garda spokesman said he could not comment on individual cases.

Ms Higgins has sought to introduce a new Internet Safety Bill aimed at curbing abuse and threats online. She has had a number of death threats since running for the European elections in May 2014.

Since the introduction of her Bill, the frequency of threats increased and she said she has to report them. She has considered ending her political career over the abuse.