Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he thought about leaving public life after a series of violent threats were made against his family, leaving him feeling “powerless”, reports The Mirror.
Earlier this month, a woman was handed a six-month prison sentence for sending social media messages to Mr Harris, in which she called him a “murderer” and said “I hope somebody does something to your family”, reports The Mirror.
Sandra Barry, 40, of Tor an Rí, Balgaddy, Lucan, became visibly upset when her case came before Dublin District Court, where the messages were described as having taken place during “three minutes of madness”, reports The Mirror.
In his victim impact statement, the Tánaiste said to her: “When you decided to threaten my child, you violated our family. I don’t know you. I don’t know anything about you. I would never wish you any ill. Sadly you didn’t afford the same respect to my family,” reports The Mirror.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr Harris acknowledged that he was deeply shaken by the threats and said he considered stepping away from politics. He said: “I came a lot closer than probably anybody thinks I came to actually walking off the pitch. It was just so sustained. I guess, when people go for your children. It was that sense of powerlessness,” reports The Mirror.
The Tánaiste said he discussed the idea of leaving political life with his family, adding: “All logic was out the window, at least in your own head for a period of time, when somebody comes for your children. This was people threatening to do physical harm, vile harm, some of the harm which isn’t known in the public, towards my children, towards my wife and towards me,” reports The Mirror.
He said the messages sent by Barry were not the first violent threats he had received this year, noting that there had also been threats to kidnap his children and a threat of sexual violence against a female member of his family.
In September, his family home in Co Wicklow was the subject of multiple bomb threats, which appeared to be coordinated as several people contacted garda stations, reports The Mirror.
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