TikTok star used platform to abuse and threaten, Kildare court hears

A MAN described as a well-known TikTok personality in his home country received a suspended sentence after he was convicted for assault causing harm and breaching a protection order by issuing threats and insults on the platform to a woman.

The man was initially charged with four breaches of a protection order between February and November 2023, but Judge Peter White dismissed two of these at Athy District Court because of the complainant’s lack of specific recall.

“So many things happened between me and my boyfriend I can’t remember,” she began through her translator, “but you couldn’t really call him my boyfriend, because we were only together for three weeks”.

She was also accompanied by an advocate from ‘Teach Tearmainn’, the women’s refuge in Co Kildare.

She explained they had an argument on 18 February 2023, and that was when she made her initial statement to the Guards.

“What did he post on TikTok?” asked Judge White.

“He called me a prostitute, and said he was selling my body. He mentioned my name and surname, and at least 300 people saw this,” she testified.

“How did you know it was on TikTok?” asked Inspector Bobby Feery.

“He is a fairly famous TikToker in my home country, and my relatives told me about it,” she said.

“He said I was selling my body to Irish men”.

“How did that make you feel?” asked Insp Feery.

“Humiliated and ashamed,” she replied.

Then, on 30 April 2023 she had gone to visit her mother in a Kildare town.

“My mother got in touch with (named man) and told him not to come because the safety order was in place, but he ignored that and came to the house and hit me in the face in front of my children, and my mother witnessed this,” she said.

“My mother had said he was not welcome, but he stormed into the house and slapped me, so I called the guards immediately”.

The inspector then asked her of the events on 11 November 2023.

“I find it hard to remember, I’ve made so many reports. This has been before the courts twice in Tallaght.

“He said he hoped I would die and was a slut. He repeats phrases and insults”.

“How did you know it was him?” asked Insp Feery.

“He said it on Facetime, and I knew it was him … he was making threats as well”.

Solicitor Seamus Boyle began the cross-examination, and asked her: “do you have these TikToks?” “All evidence was handed in to the guards,” she said.

“(Named man) has over 90,000 followers on TikTok, and says he definitely was with you over the years, and has blocked you from TikTok,” said Mr Boyle.

“I blocked him, I don’t know if he blocked me,” she replied.

“He will claim you have used your daughter’s account to send him abusive messages,” and handed in a page of WhatsApp screenshots to the court to back this up, but she argued this had nothing to do with the incident in her mother’s house.

“You say you’re in fear of him?” he asked.

“Yes, I am scared of him,” she testified.

“On a previous occasion after court, I said he asked me out for a coffee and I said yes, because I was afraid to refuse”.

“Why didn’t you tell the gardaí?” asked the solicitor.

“He was manipulating and friendly, and that’s why I gave him a lift home from court”.

“You were together in May after you made all those complaints. Why weren’t you afraid then?” “He was manipulating then. He said he was going to change his ways”.

“On the same day the three of you (including her child) went out for lunch, effectively a family day out,” said Mr Boyle how also handed in a photo taken at that lunch.

“He was pretending to be nice, and took those photos secretly, planning to use them in court as proof. I applied for the safety order because I was in fear of him,” said the woman.

Mr Boyle continued: “Your paths haven’t crossed since … my client is well-known on TikTok and did nothing to harm you”.

“That’s not true,” replied the woman.

“My client will say you are still trying to make contact,” said the solicitor.

“That’s not true,” said the woman.

The woman’s mother gave evidence, and she corroborated all of what her daughter had just said about 19 May, although she described it as “a punch” rather than a slap, which also “started the kids crying”.

“I pushed him out of the house, and he ran away. There was a lot of screaming that day”.

Then the defendant took the stand, also with a dedicated translator, and claimed “she made videos of my daughters on Tik Tok, and they provoke me all the time”.

“I accept I was very emotional, but only on one occasion,” he said.

“Things were said by the injured party. Do you deny this or not?” asked the judge.

“I said those words,” he admitted.

“I did not slap her in the face … her mother said if I gave bad evidence, I will never see my daughter again … I do not know what was her intention.” He added: “I did not threaten her, I am no danger to her.

“I don’t look like a person who could kill another person”.

“Did you, or didn’t you issue those threats on TikTok?” asked Judge White.

“Maybe I just got provoked and answered the wrong way,” said the man.

“Perhaps he was reckless. That’s where it sits,” concluded Mr Boyle.

“These were appalling names he called her on the Tik Tok videos, and these have been admitted by the accused, so I’m satisfied it meets requirement (for conviction), and I’m satisfied beyond reasonable doubt he used violence against the injured party, corroborated by her mother,” said Judge White.

It was then revealed he had three previous convictions, including a breach of the same protection order on 3 February 2023, for which he got put on probation for 12 months.

The judge fined the man €700 for the breach of order on 18 February and sentenced him to six months in prison for the 19 May assault, but suspended this for 12 months.