A MAN has been convicted at Enniskillen Magistrates Court of harassment against his former girlfriend, the mother of his twin sons.

Jordan Tommas Kilpatrick (23), of Drumadd Terrace, Armagh, harassed his girlfriend, who is from Fermanagh, between February 3, 2020, and March 8, 2020, not long after their three-year relationship had ended.

The injured party told the court on Monday that since the break up in January, 2020, Kilpatrick had become “abusive” and posted nasty messages online – something the defendant later denied during his evidence.

The victim and Kilpatrick were in contact over visiting arrangements for the defendant to see his two sons, but in one message in February, the court heard Kilpatrick told the victim that she should get rid of Class-B cannabis drugs in her house or he was going to call the police.

Kilpatrick, in his evidence, said he had sent her this to give her the chance to get rid of drugs which he had discovered some time before in a handbag whilst decorating the nursery for the twins, and that he was told by the injured party it was given to her by her brother.

The injured party said she rang the police when she got this text, who in turn contacted Kilpatrick, and told him to stop sending messages like that.

Visits by Kilpatrick to see his sons took place in the victim’s mother’s home as she did not feel safe, according to the injured party.

Another text sent by Kilpatrick called the victim “mentally dysfunctional”, “twisted” and said she “needed to be checked out”.

A third message calls her a “drop-out law student” and that she knew “f*** all”.

The court also heard that Kilpatrick had been the subject of a non-molestation order against the victim; however, this was breached.

During cross-examination of the victim, Kilpatrick’s barrister Seamus Mac Giolla Cheara, pointed out that it was three text messages out of hundreds between the pair, and asked if she was so offended why did she keep on texting Kilpatrick?

The victim said it was because she wanted her sons to see their father, and not for the want of texting him.

In his evidence to the court, Kilpatrick said that he felt their relationship ended as the victim had become “possessive” over their sons, and did not want him around, but that he did not set out to cause anxiety or offence with the messages.

He said he was “very annoyed and upset” when he sent some of the messages as the victim was stopping contact with his sons and being “unreasonable”.

In his submissions, Mr. Mac Giolla Cheara told the court that the messages did not meet the threshold of harassment, and before some of them, there was a long chain of messages in which the injured party was being “stubborn” in terms of contact with the children.

The prosecution said the victim felt the matter was serious enough for her to contact the police, and there were two or more incidents between February 3 and March 8 for the course of conduct to be proven.

In his findings, District Judge Steven Keown said the offence was made out, and he had no hesitation in convicting.

Kilpatrick will appear on September 14 for sentencing following the completion of a pre-sentence report.