Belfast man sends threatening online messages and damages office windows leading to 31-month prison sentence and restraining order

Summary

A Belfast man, Aaron Thomas Curragh, sent threatening online messages to Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, and smashed the windows of a party colleague's office. The threatening posts were posted on Twitter in July 2024 and included a video implying a death threat against Little-Pengelly. Curragh also damaged Joanne Bunting’s office in December 2023 and again in July 2024, with both incidents captured on CCTV. Both Little-Pengelly and Bunting submitted victim impact statements describing the fear and distress caused by the attacks. Curragh was sentenced to 31 months in prison, with half to be served in custody and half on licence, and received a seven-year restraining order against Little-Pengelly. The court heard that Curragh exhibited irrational thinking and rejected a mental health assessment.