Dublin pensioner admits using woman's old phone to blackmail her with recovered sex pictures

A Dublin pensioner, Anthony Nolan, 84, of Richmond Road, Fairview, admitted to recovering pictures of a woman engaged in sexual acts from her old phone to 'blackmail' her years later. He was charged with harassment from May 8, 2021, until May 10, 2022, under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. Nolan pleaded guilty in Dublin District Court before Judge Michele Finan on Monday.

The woman, who had gifted Nolan her old phone in 2009, discovered that he found personal messages and 'photos showing the injured party in sexual activities' on the phone and attempted to blackmail her with them. Defence solicitor Andrew Molony mentioned that Nolan was undergoing psychiatric treatment and requested time to obtain a report. Sentencing was adjourned until September, with a victim impact statement to be prepared for the next hearing. Legal aid was extended for a psychiatric report on Nolan, who was remanded on continuing bail and not required to testify.

A preliminary hearing in April determined that the case would remain in the District Court rather than being sent to the Circuit Court for wider sentencing powers. The victim had cleared personal data from the phone before giving it to Nolan. Evidence also indicated that despite the victim's attempts to block him, Nolan continued to harass her electronically with messages.