Stalker who claims to be Irish admits harassing Jemima Man, 60, says she is ‘silly’
A STALKER who claims to be Irish and who has admitted harassing socialite Jemima Goldsmith yesterday told a court she was a ‘silly woman who doth protest too much’.
Conor O’Mahoney, 60, bombarded the 42-year-old journalist with messages on social media, sending her five messages a day on Twitter.
He turned up outside her home and attended events where Ms Goldsmith – also known as Jemima Khan – was speaking and asked her out for dinner.
O’Mahoney also sent an unwanted taxi to her home address with instructions to meet him in a hotel. His actions caused Ms Goldsmith ‘serious harm or distress’, Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court heard.
It emerged yesterday that O’Mahoney had received a caution in November 2015 for harassing the campaigner.
O’Mahoney stood in the dock holding a letter he claimed was written by Queen Elizabeth when asked to enter a plea. He declared himself ‘an innocent man’ and said the world now knew him as an ‘Irish stalker’ who could not get a fair trial in Britain.
O’Mahoney also complained about reporters in court and said: ‘Twenty-eight days ago, these people took my name and my image, my mother in South Africa and my sister in Australia now know me as an Irish stalker.’ Holding the letter he said: ‘This is from Buckingham Palace, can I pass it up, you don’t know the truth now. Twelve angry men good and true.’ After being briefly taken from court by his lawyer Davis Freedman, O’Mahoney returned to plead guilty to one count of harassment.
Prosecutor Emily Maunders said: ‘There is a background to this offending, the complainant reported to police that this defendant had contacted her five times a day via Twitter. Between February and March 2015, the defendant travelled to her home address outside London, she wasn’t present but it was a concern he knew where it was. In April 2015, he attended an event where she was speaking, approached her and asked where he was taking her for dinner.’ In October 2015, O’Mahoney turned up at her house and asked for her over the telephone system and sent her a message saying: ‘I am knocking, your lights are on but no-one is home. Try smelling the coffee or contacting the Met.’
O’Mahoney received a caution in November 2015, for harassing Ms Goldsmith but continued to pursue her. ‘Between January and June 2016, he sent her letters to her home address. All bar one were hand-delivered and signed, so easily identified. On September 27 the defendant ordered a taxi to go to the victim’s home address. It was instructed to pick her up,’ Ms Maunders said.
O’Mahoney, who has previous convictions for drink driving in 2002 and being drunk and disorderly in 2004, was diagnosed as a bipolar sufferer in 1999.
Mr Freedman suggested the medication he had been on for skin cancer had ‘interfered’ with O’Mahoney’s ‘balance’. He said Ms Goldsmith had said she didn’t want O’Mahoney prosecuted.
District Judge Kwame Inyundo bailed O’Mahoney and ordered pre-sentence reports. O’Mahoney replied: ‘I have been very helpful with this trivial matter with this silly woman who doth protest too much.’ O’Mahoney, of Kent, will be sentenced on March 13.
He was diagnosed bipolar in 1999