Michael Mooney Sentenced to 6 Years for Harassing Ex-Partner Nicola Sweetman
Michael Mooney, 41, received a six-year prison sentence for harassing ex-partner Nicola Sweetman. He used a tracking device and sent death threats, leaving her in constant fear. Sweetman, whose family was also threatened, fears Mooney, a serial abuser with 62 prior convictions, will re-offend.
Dubliner Michael Mooney, 41, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment by Judge Roderick Maguire for harassment and making threats to kill or cause serious harm against his ex-partner, Nicola Sweetman. Mooney, of Ceol na Mara, Rush, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to harassment between June 26, 2024, and January 18, 2025, and to a threat to kill on January 15, 2025.
Mooney placed a complex tracking device on Ms Sweetman’s car and sent her terrifying real-time text messages, including «Are you having trouble parking?» and «I’m behind you». He also made threats to harm her, her parents, and male friends, stating he could «meat cleaver everyone to death» and «break her father’s face». Ms Sweetman told the court she lived in constant fear, avoiding stopping her car without lighting or cameras. She eventually discovered the tracker at a garage after Mooney’s persistent texts about her movements.
Ms Sweetman detailed a six-month campaign of threats, false accusations, and intimidation, which forced her to leave her home. She described the «lasting and devastating effects» on her and her family, expressing fear that Mooney, a serial abuser with 62 previous convictions including multiple threats to kill ex-partners and a judge, will continue his behavior. She fears his next victim may not survive. Judge Maguire noted the trauma was deeper due to the intimate relationship and Mooney’s limited insight into his offending.