Dublin man admits threatening to 'butcher' woman he met on Instagram
Craig O'Brien (30), of Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to threats to kill and harassment sent via Instagram between July and September 2024. A risk assessment has been ordered ahead of sentencing.
Ballyfermot man admits Instagram death threats against woman he had never met
A Dublin man with a history of violence has pleaded guilty to making repeated death threats and harassing a woman through Instagram private messages, echo.ie reports.
Craig O'Brien (30), of Comet Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, entered his plea at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to charges of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm and harassment, covering dates between 22 July and 1 September 2024.
In 46 messages sent across three separate dates, O'Brien told the woman he would "butcher" her and said "I swear to God, I'm gonna kill you." He also threatened to "blow her and her boyfriend's head off" and stated he was going to kill her boyfriend "stone dead." One message read: "I'll pay some crack head butcher and you won't know where it came from."
O'Brien called the woman a "dumb tramp", a "stupid bitch" and a "dirty rat." He threatened an "acid attack" on her face, adding "that's not an empty threat," and said he would "stalk" her online until she made a mistake, threatening to activate the location feature on her account.
Detective Garda Anthony Cunningham, giving evidence to prosecuting counsel Lisa Dempsey BL, said the woman took the threats seriously and felt unsafe as a result. O'Brien and the victim had no prior personal acquaintance before the offending began.
O'Brien has 12 previous convictions, including two for assault. He was previously jailed for assaulting a social media influencer.
During his arrest for the current offences, O'Brien told gardaí that "influencers were ganging up on him and harassing him, and they deserved it." His defence counsel, Miska Hanahoe BL, told the court that O'Brien was in a drug-induced psychosis at the time and genuinely believed social media influencers were targeting him.
Senior counsel Fionnuala O'Sullivan, also appearing for the defence, said her client cannot explain why he contacted the victim but that "alcohol was almost definitely a factor." O'Brien does not specifically remember much of the offending but accepts he carried it out, describing his own behaviour as "disgusting and unforgiveable."
O'Sullivan told the court that O'Brien went into custody in March 2025 in connection with these offences and has been making "huge efforts" to rehabilitate himself while on remand.
Judge Orla Crowe described the case as very serious. She ordered a risk assessment from the Probation Service and adjourned proceedings to 15 January for finalisation.
Source: Irish Independent