EXCLUSIVE | 

Farmer charged under new harassment laws admits stalking well-known woman

First person charged under North’s new harassment laws turned up at victim’s home

Ciaran O’Neill

Yesterday at 16:00

A farmer who was the first person charged under new stalking laws in Northern Ireland has finally admitted his guilt.

Richard McFarland had denied stalking a well-known female public figure.

He was due to contest the charges at Strabane Magistrates Court this week – but the case took a dramatic twist when McFarland’s solicitor told the court he would instead be pleading guilty.

McFarland (46) was released on continuing bail and will be sentenced in October.

The media are not allowed to name the stalking victim because of a reporting ban imposed by the court.

McFarland, from Corickbeg Road, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, was charged under new legislation introduced last year.

Those convicted of stalking can now face a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.

McFarland was accused of engaging in a course of conduct amounting to stalking the woman which caused her to suffer fear, alarm or substantial distress over several months in 2022.

During the same time he also breached a restraining order by contacting her.

He first appeared in court in July 2022.

An investigating PSNI officer told the court that the injured party contacted police to report McFarland had been sending her messages through a Facebook account.

She said she recognised his profile image due to ongoing harassment stretching back over a year, for which she had obtained a restraining order against him.

Despite this, the woman reported receiving further messages, none of which she answered.

She also reported McFarland attending her home address uninvited. He was spoken to by police and warned not to contact her again.

However, the court was told he continued to contact her.

The officer said the woman became very insecure in her own home, investing in CCTV and additional security measures.

When she declined to engage with the messages, McFarland began contacting her family, including her mother, causing further distress.

After being arrested, McFarland denied the allegations but when shown screenshots of the messages, he admitted creating the account but continued to deny sending anything to the injured party. A defence barrister said McFarland had sought help from his GP and had taken part in counselling.

At the initial court hearing, a bail application was refused and McFarland was remanded in custody. However, he was released on bail a few weeks later and warned to adhere to a number of conditions.

These included a ban on him possessing or accessing any internet-capable device and he was also not allowed to access or create social media accounts. McFarland was warned not to contact the alleged victim by any means.

When the Sunday World called out to McFarland’s home earlier this year, he declined to comment on the charges against him.

The legislation under which the Tyrone farmer was charged was introduced in April 2022.

The new laws apply to two or more occasions that cause a person to suffer fear, alarm or substantial distress.

A new offence of threatening or abusive behaviour has also been created which can be triggered by a single incident.

All victims of stalking will have automatic eligibility for special measures assistance, such as the use of live links or screens at court, when giving evidence in proceedings.

This also applies in family proceedings, where special measures can be considered by the court on a case-by-case basis.