Man threatened to 'cut head off' employee at 'Christian substance misuse support charity'

Oliver Cleary, 'unknown age,' with an address at Northland Road in Derry, also made 'offensive' comments about Christianity and homosexuals, Ballymena Magistrates' Court heard on Thursday last.

The defendant pleaded guilty to 'improper use of public communications' on June 30 this year.

A prosecutor said: "Police received a report from the victim who is a staff member at a Christian substance misuse support charity that on the 30th of June four voicemail messages were received on the organisation's phone.

"The messages were abusive and used language deemed offensive towards homosexuality and Christianity and named the victim, in which the suspect allegedly threatened that he would cut her head off. The victim stated that she was left feeling concerned, worried and distressed as a result of the messages".

The defendant told police he had "some recollection" of making the calls but was intoxicated at the time.

He said the "language sounded like him" and it was his phone number.

Cleary agreed the messages would be "likely to cause distress but that he had no intention of doing so and stated he had no issues with Christians or homosexuals and that there was no hate-related motivation and he apologised at the end of the interview".

The court heard the organisation was "based in England".

A defence lawyer said the organisation helps people with "alcohol issues" and Cleary had been there "in the hope of addressing his alcohol issue but unfortunately there had been some issues... not with this member of staff.

"He would instruct that he was the victim of bullying... and how that was dealt with was really why he contacted this organisation".

The lawyer said Cleary had had "high hopes" of addressing his addiction but "it didn't turn out to be what he thought it was and he didn't successfully address those issues".

As part of attending the organisation he had to come off all medication, the lawyer said, and at the time his "mental health was extremely unbalanced" and he now regretted making the calls.

District Judge Nigel Broderick put the defendant on Probation for a year.

The judge told Cleary: "I have read the comments that you left on this voice answer machine and they are wholly inappropriate, quite disgusting, and I can understand why it would have caused distress and alarm to the recipient."

He said the only reason he was giving Probation was to address the defendant's "underlying problems".