Dungannon man who threatened to post naked pictures of ex online gets suspended sentence

Handing down the three month sentence which he suspended for a year, Deputy District Judge Trevor Browne told the defendant, 34-year-old Constantino Carvalho, from Belmount in Dungannon: “This woman is entitled to be treated with respect. It is an extremely grave matter.

“You shouldn’t need probation to tell you that you shouldn’t threaten people.”

The court heard how the injured party contacted police alleging that the defendant, who had a non-molestation order in place, had sent a number of threatening messages to her over Facebook on March 30.

She said that Carvalho claimed that he would post nude photos of her as well as one reading ‘Just wait - time will come’.

He was arrested and interviewed, denying that he had threatened to put up a naked picture.

On April 5, the woman again contacted police claiming that Carvalho had posted a picture of her asking ‘Anyone know this woman? Text me’.

He also private messaged her with a naked picture as well as two messages one of which said: “You are f***ing dead.”

“The two are in an on-off relationship,” Mr Ruairi Maguire, defending, told the court.

“This is not the first time police have had to intervene. It has been volatile.

“(Carvalho) would say that there was a reconciliation but when the relationship soured again, he found himself back in court.

“There was no physical violence... but this was very unsavoury.

“There is no doubt that this is right up to the custody threshold, but I urge the court to suspend so that he will be under no illusion that if there is any repeat it will mean custody.”

Judge Browne agreed, noting: “What concerns me most of all... is that when she informed police she received further threats.”