Christchurch man jailed for harassing woman with messages and videos on social media

A man from Christchurch was sent to prison yesterday (15 March 2023) at Southampton Magistrates’ Court after he admitted harassing a woman by sending her over a hundred messages and videos via Facebook Messenger.

Timothy O’Brien, 55, admitted harassment at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to 17 weeks’ imprisonment. He was also given an indefinite restraining order to provide an ongoing measure of protection for the victim in this case.

O’Brien repeatedly contacted the victim, sending 115 messages, 33 videos and 13 photos between 18 December 2022 and 24 January 2023. The content of these messages and videos were particularly unpleasant and understandably caused the victim distress.

Victoria Hill, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: “We work with the police from the earliest opportunity to build cases for prosecution to ensure that data, and key evidence, is gathered and preserved from relevant electronic storage devices and social networking sites.

“Online harassment can cause victims significant trauma and distress, and we will prosecute perpetrators whenever our legal test is met.

“We would urge anyone who has experienced cyberstalking or online harassment to contact the police.”