Kerry election candidate jailed for contempt over social media ...
A candidate in the general and local elections in Kerry has been jailed for contempt of court in relation to an alleged breach of an order preventing her from making social media posts about a garda sergeant in Listowel.
Michelle Keane of Talbot Bridge, Knocknagoshel, ran in the June local elections and afterwards in the November general election. In July, she was ordered at Ennis Circuit Civil Court to remove all online social media posts made against a Listowel-based female sergeant, Melanie Walsh.
The injunction also ordered Michelle Keane and any other party acting in concert with her from making future statements about Sgt Walsh online.
In Listowel on Tuesday, the legal team for Sgt Walsh applied for an attachment and committal order, saying the interlocutory injunction was breached by Ms Keane, most recently on November 28 on Facebook. Although the sergeant’s name was not used, the garda was identifiable by the posts, it was alleged.
The breach was denied by Ms Keane who represented herself. She had submitted a grounding affidavit saying she was not in breach of any order.
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Both sides in this case were sent out of court to resolve the situation which the court heard could be sufficiently resolved via an agreement that Michelle Keane give a similar undertaking.
When both sides returned to court, the plaintiff’s legal team said an undertaking had been drawn up and given to Michelle Keane.
She was asked if she was prepared to agree to the undertaking. She said she would not as she had not breached the interlocutory order.
Judge James O’Donohoe said he had no option but to commit her to prison for contempt. She is due to appear at Killarney Civil Court on Friday but she can at any time purge what the judge held to be a contempt of court.
Ms Keane, an author, a campaigner against masts, and a mother of two came to prominence during the local elections particularly, garnering large online followings with regular video and social media posts.
She ran as an independent candidate in the Castleisland LEA in June and polled just under 1,000 first-preference votes, but failed to get a seat.
In the November general election, she listed immigration top of her priority list. Other priorities included law reform and the release of Enoch Burke.
She will be back before Judge O’Donohoe on Friday in Killarney.
