Castleisland man admits harassing ex-partner, found with bag of weapons and spy camera gear
A 36-year-old admitted sending death threats to a former girlfriend and was caught with a knife, restraints, masks and covert recording equipment.
Castleisland man admits harassing ex-partner, found with bag of weapons and spy camera gear
A 36-year-old from Castleisland has pleaded guilty to terrorising his former girlfriend over several months, culminating in gardaí finding a stash of weapons and surveillance equipment at his dwelling.
Pádraig Griffin, who lives at Tullig, admitted one count of harassment and another of threatening to murder the woman. The campaign of intimidation began shortly after she discovered him taking cocaine in their shared home during Christmas 2024. He eventually left the property in April 2025.
Within weeks of moving out, Griffin started bombarding the woman with anonymous texts and emails that were sexually explicit and viciously abusive. He later adopted the persona of drug dealers, sending demands for cash to settle a debt that never existed. The intimidation intensified over the months that followed, with Griffin vowing to assault and ultimately kill her.
During a telephone call in late October 2025, he warned the victim she would no longer be a mother. She reported the matter to gardaí, who carried out a search of the house where Griffin was then staying.
Officers recovered a sports bag holding a mobile phone, a blade concealed inside tissue and a plastic pouch, cable ties, shaving razors, face coverings, transparent latex gloves, and a manual for a miniature wireless camera. Investigators established that Griffin had deployed the camera to capture footage of the woman inside her own bathroom without her knowledge.
The bag also contained paper notes with further threats to take her life. Digital examination of phones seized during the search confirmed they had been used to operate the email accounts and telephone numbers behind the harassment campaign.
Browser history on one device showed Griffin had looked up whether Irish law allows a murder prosecution when no corpse has been recovered.
At his sentencing hearing, the woman told the court she is permanently afraid he will murder her and their child. She described losing her ability to live normally, having her autonomy stripped away, suffering chronic insomnia, and facing lifelong psychological scars.
Griffin's legal representative told the court he is horrified by his own actions and expressed regret. The judge called the prepared bag a deeply calculated act and deferred final sentencing until October to allow for a mental health assessment.
Source: Radio Kerry
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