A senior trader at the National Treasury Management Agency has secured an interim High Court injunction against the director of a construction company who he claims orchestrated 'an appalling campaign of intimidation and harassment' in a dispute over payment for work on his home.
The trader claims that the director of a construction company orchestrated 'an appalling campaign of intimidation and harassment' in a dispute over payment for work on his home.
Stephen Moran from Marino Crescent, Clontarf, Co Dublin claims he was subjected to threatening phone calls and pickets on his workplace in a dispute over almost €19,000.
The court was told he received 'disturbing and unnerving' voice mail messages from someone claiming to be from 'the church of the good creditor' asking him to pray with them because they were 'praying for him'.
He was then informed that 'representatives' would be sent to the NTMA and on 8 June three men who refused to identify themselves began picketing his offices with placards for a number of days until yesterday.
At the High Court this morning Mr Moran and his wife Mary Heffernan, a senior civil servant with the OPW, secured injunctions against Kyle Ryan, a director of KEK Construction Whitethorn Centre, Rathcoole, Co Wicklow and Jonathon Phelan with an address at 75 Pearse Brothers Park Ballyboden.
The interim court order prevents the defendants or their agents from picketing Mr Moran's home or workplace.
In a sworn statement Mr Moran said the campaign of harassment began last April after dispute arose over payment for works carried out on his home.
He had engaged KEK Construction last year to complete work started by another contractor.
The job was valued at €80,000. However he became concerned about the quality of the work and in February last asked Mr Moran to leave the site. He paid him €67,000.
He said he received demands and solicitors letters for a balance of €18,750 which he believed he did not owe due to the quality of the workmanship.
In May he and his wife began receiving intimidating phone messages.
The callers said they were acting for Kyle Ryan and wanted to meet.
Other messages asked if he would 'say a decade of the rosary because they were praying for him'. Another said 'til death do us part Stephen.'
When he phoned the number back he would hear a cryptic message saying: 'this is not the enterprise but this is the enterprise.'
He was granted a number of interim orders preventing the defendants from watching or besetting, harassing or intimidating him or picketing his home or workplace.
The application was made on an ex parte (one side only) basis. The defendants were not represented in court.
