A man has been jailed for 2½ years for repeatedly harassing and stalking a Co Limerick woman he became “dangerously infatuated” with.
Ruslan Nitsyn (47), of no fixed abode in Dublin, pleaded guilty before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to one count of harassing Gillian McCarthy (32) between October 20th, 2023 and January 1st, 2024.
Prosecution counsel John O’Sullivan said this was the second time Nitsyn, originally from Ukraine, engaged in a “campaign of harassment” against Ms McCarthy.
Nitsyn received a three-month jail sentence at Limerick District Court in July 2023 for harassing Ms McCarthy, which was fully suspended on condition that he stay out of Limerick and not contact Ms McCarthy.
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However, Mr O’Sullivan said “the ink was barely dry” on the District Court order when Nitsyn breached it.
“That he (Nitsyn) declared his unbinding love for Gillian McCarthy is worrying, and since he encountered Gillian McCarthy, he has become dangerously infatuated with the victim,” counsel added.
The court heard Nitsyn, who has lived in Ireland since 2001, became fixated on Ms McCarthy after delivering goods to her mother’s house on October 27th, 2021. Mr O’Sullivan said Ms McCarthy and her mother operate an equestrian centre and found Nitsyn’s campaign “very worrying”.
When breaching the earlier court order, Nitsyn telephoned Ms McCarthy a number of times, saying “it’s me”. He also sent her a text message saying he was outside her home.
He left a teddy bear, cards, flowers and sweets at her house and wore a T-shirt which said: “I LOVE YOU.”
On another occasion, Nitsyn sat in a black BMW outside Ms McCarthy’s home and “winked” at her when she spotted him.
“The word ‘creepy’ may be an understatement here,” said Mr O’Sullivan.
A garda patrol was put in place near Ms McCarthy’s home in response.
After Nitsyn was arrested in Dublin, he accepted he had previously been convicted of harassing Ms McCarthy and told to stay away.
He initially denied harassing her again, but eventually admitted doing so and acknowledged he had put her in fear.
“I love her ... It looks like I am a bad person but I don’t have any intention to harm her,” Nitsyn told gardaí.
Ms McCarthy wrote a victim impact statement which said she could not come to court for Nitsyn’s sentencing because she was “scared” to be in his presence.
“Every time I see a black BMW car I freeze, I am still afraid to go out alone to the (horse) stables, I put security in place, I constantly have a feeling of somebody watching me,” she said.
“I am constantly looking over my shoulder, my work has been affected, I can’t shake the feeling that somebody is looking in at me through the window (of her home).”
Yvonne Quinn, barrister for Nitsyn, said her client has a “long history of serious metal health issues”, which worsened after he split from his wife and mother of his two children. Ms Quinn said he has suffered with severe paranoia since 2006.
“He has accepted that his behaviour was frightening and it has to stop,” said Ms Quinn.
Judge Colin Daly backdated the 2½ year sentence to January 3rd, 2024, when Nitsyn went into custody, and ordered that he not communicate with Ms McCarthy or her family for five years after his release.
