Man admits ‘sinister' harassment of couple following death of Mayo fan
A friend of tragic Mayo GAA fan Joe Deacy has pleaded guilty to harassing the owners of the house where the UK national was found unconscious before his death in 2017.
Mr Deacy (21), of St Albans, England, was found unresponsive in the driveway of the home of Peter and Anne Byrne at Gortnasillagh, Swinford, Co Mayo, at 6.45am on August 12, 2017.
Brendan Rowland (30), who is originally from Ballycroy, Co Mayo, but has been living in the UK for over a decade, admitted his part in a broader 'sinister' and 'orchestrated' harassment campaign of Peter and Anne Byrne.
Castlebar Circuit Court heard that between December 2018 and December 2019, the couple received 40 cards to their home signed from 'Joe' on occasions including their birthdays, wedding anniversary, Mother's Day and Christmas.
The court heard that on the couple's wedding anniversary they received a single black rose with a message '29 years, I didn't get that long', signed 'from Joe'.
Mr Rowland was found to only be linked to 12 cards sent to the Byrnes.
Patrick Reynolds BL, for the DPP, outlined to Judge Eoin Garavan the background to the case.
Mr Reynolds said Joe Deacy was 'found in an unconscious state' in the driveway of the Byrnes' home when he was a guest and friend of their son, Conor, on August 12, 2017.
Mr Deacy was brought to Mayo University Hospital and later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, but died the following day.
According to a post-mortem examination, the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
In December 2018, the Byrnes began to receive cards with sinister messages, and this continued for a period of almost 13 months.
Mr Reynolds said 26 cards were signed from 'Joe' or 'Joseph' and referenced the 'conscience' of persons.
Mayo fan Joe Deacy died in August 2017
A garda investigation traced some stamps to a post office in Ballycroy, and CCTV identified Brendan Rowland's mother as the person who bought them.
Mr Rowland was subsequently arrested and interviewed, and made admissions in relation to some cards received by the Byrnes.
The court heard he asked his mother to post them. However, she opened and read one card and refused to post those in her possession.
Mr Reynolds told the court that the cards subject to the charges contained handwritten messages including: 'To the wholly honest Byrnes, everyone knows the truth. I hope this Christmas brings truth not cowardice.'
Ms Byrne broke down in tears several times as she read her victim impact statement.
She said her family had been 'persecuted by false information in the media and on social media', which led to a toxic hate campaign against her family.
Describing the cards as 'poisonous', Ms Byrne said she received them on Mother's Day and her birthday.
She said that as a cancer survivor it was 'repugnant' to her that some of the cards were sourced from a cancer charity.
Mrs Byrne said she and her family 'did nothing wrong', and did everything they could to help Mr Deacy.
'Joe was a lovely young man and we welcomed him into our home,' she said.
She said she had 'great sympathy' for his family and added: 'We also grieve for Joe.'
Ms Byrne ended her statement by appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Mr Byrne, a vet with the Department of Agriculture, said the cards left him and his wife in 'great fear'.
He said one card read: 'Hope you have a killer Christmas.'
Brendan Rowland leaves Castlebar District Court. Photo: Oisín McGovern
Mr Byrne said the experience left him feeling he had 'come in contact with a kind of evil I had never experienced in my life'.
He said he was asleep in bed when he was alerted to Mr Deacy's unconscious state, and immediately called an ambulance before he began CPR.
Mr Byrne said he also called the gardaí before the ambulance left, and then went directly to Mr Deacy's cousin's house to alert him.
He said he and his family then left their home, giving gardaí full access to examine it and the surrounding property.
'I don't know what else we could have done,' he said.
'Brendan Rowland doesn't know me,' he said but still subjected him 'to a personal campaign of hatred'.
'We did nothing wrong,' he added.
Mr Byrne said 'Joe Deacy was a lovely young man,' and appealed for 'anyone who has information as to what happened to Joe, please come forward,' he said.
Defence counsel Laura Byrne BL said her client was 'ashamed and wants to offer an apology'.
The defence counsel said Mr Deacy was supposed to stay with her client on the night he was injured, and his death 'engulfed' Rowland's life.
Judge Garavan said the circumstances of the case were 'extremely difficult' and much is unresolved almost eight years after the tragedy.
Describing Mr Rowland's actions as 'sinister' and 'criminal', Judge Garavan said he would finalise sentencing in October.
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