Tyrone man convicted of stalking his former partner

A FINONA man who left a luxury BMW on his ex-partner’s driveway as an unwanted ‘Christmas gift’ has avoided jail for stalking her.

Tony McKenna (41), of Kilnahusogue Road, received a suspended sentence at Omagh Magistrates Court last week. The offences relate to a sustained course of conduct between October 1, 2024, and January 15, 2025, following the breakdown of a relationship that had lasted from June 2023.

The victim contacted police on January 16 to report that the Fintona man had been stalking her for some time.

The court heard that after the victim ended the relationship due to McKenna’s increasingly controlling behaviour – including calling her a ‘gold digger’ and demanding she quit her job – he began to harass her by phone.

When she blocked his number, he continued to call using a different one and left numerous voicemails.

On one occasion in November 2024, he turned up at her workplace intoxicated and became verbally abusive, calling her a ‘cheater’.

After she finished work, the woman asked a customer to escort her to her car, but McKenna was found ‘loitering’ behind the passenger door.

She ignored him and drove off.

McKenna was later seen at her home, peering through windows for an hour.

On another occasion, he left a BMW X5 in her driveway as a ‘Christmas gift’, pushing the keys and a note through her letterbox.

The behaviour came to a head on January 15 when McKenna entered the woman’s workplace, sat silently staring at her and refused to leave. The terrified woman locked herself in her car and phoned her manager for help.

McKenna attended a police interview on January 22, where he admitted struggling to accept the relationship had ended.

Defence counsel Steffan Rafferty said McKenna had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, sparing the victim from giving evidence.

A medical report highlighted traits of autism and a history of trauma and alcohol misuse.

The court also noted McKenna was on probation at the time for a previous domestic offence involving another individual.

District Judge Ted Magill said the behaviour was ‘distressing and unacceptable’, adding that the court takes a ‘dim view’ of domestic-related stalking. However, he acknowledged the guilty plea and co-operation with police.

McKenna was sentenced to three months in custody, suspended for two years, alongside a separate two-year suspended sentence.