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Aaron Thomas Curragh, a resident of Belfast, has been sentenced to 31 months in prison for sending threatening online messages to Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister and vandalizing the office of a party colleague. Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was left so fearful by the posts on Twitter that she contemplated relocating from her residence. Curragh, aged 34, residing on Whincroft Road, received a 31-month sentence, with half to be served in custody and the other half on licence. He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage and one of making threatening communications.
The Belfast Crown Court was informed that Curragh published a series of tweets concerning Emma Little-Pengelly on 8 July 2024. Additionally, he uploaded a video that appeared to be targeting Mrs. Little-Pengelly’s residence. In one of the videos, Curragh can be heard asserting that Mrs. Little-Pengelly was under a “death threat from members of her own party and individuals she encounters while shopping have disclosed her address to me.” Mrs. Little-Pengelly recognized the defendant from his profile photo as someone who had previously sworn at her in a local shop. Curragh was interviewed by the police on 13 July and admitted to the criminal damage on 12 July as well as posting online about Mrs. Little-Pengelly.
On 8 December, Joanne Bunting left her office on the Knock Road in Belfast. The next day, she was alerted by her landlord that the establishment had been marred. Several windows at the office were shattered. Curragh shared a series of messages on his Twitter account in the early hours of 9 December indicating his involvement in the damage. Subsequently, he tweeted just 15 minutes prior to targeting the premises saying, “Ready to be a target DUP” accompanied by a GIF featuring two individuals, one of whom was masked. After the occurrence, Curragh posted another tweet stating “Always mark for payback DUP.”
Joanne Bunting’s constituency office encountered a subsequent attack on 12 July 2024. CCTV footage revealed a male smashing windows at both her office and an adjacent office. Curragh was detained by the police at Roddens Park with a two-foot long silver breaker bar in his possession. Despite claiming to have found the bar, Curragh resisted police inside the vehicle, necessitating the use of force to restrain him. Both Joanne Bunting and Emma Little-Pengelly submitted written victim impact statements describing the distress and fear they experienced. Mrs. Little-Pengelly confessed feeling uncomfortable and developing a disdain for her own dwelling, while Ms. Bunting highlighted the trauma endured by her staff following the attacks
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