Landlord convicted of spying on tenants

A Galway city landlord who hid miniature cameras in the ceilings of his female tenants' bedrooms and bathrooms was sentenced to a total of sixteen months in prison at Galway District Court today.

Hugh O'Donnell (31), with an address at 115 Glendara, Rahoon, Galway, pleaded guilty to harassing the female tenant between March 1st and 9th last year at his address.

He also pleaded guilty to having in his possession computer images of male and female children engaging in explicit sexual activity.

The accused spied on people he shared his house over a two to three year period before one female tenant noticed the hidden cameras and made a complaint to Gardai.

In all, 49 women and 14 men, who had stayed in the rental house over the preceding years, were captured on 19 videos and CD's seized by Gardai.

O'Donnell had hid the cameras in the corner of a bedroom and a bathroom he rented out to his tenants, one of whom, a female, made the discovery and made a complaint to Gardai on March 4 last year.

Passing sentence, Judge John Garavan said O'Donnell had engaged in voyeuristic and obsessive behaviour.

Reading a victim impact report, the judge said the young woman who had been spied on was absolutely devastated by her ordeal. Her career had been put on hold and she had been deeply traumatised. It would be many years before she would recover from such degradation, he said.

Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal.