An Irishman who was stalked by his obsessed ex-lover for a decade has told how he was told to “sort it out himself” before fleeing to the UK.
Filmmaker Jarlath Rice told Virgin Media One’s new documentary Stalked that the depressing experience was “very humiliating”. He previously said it left him on the brink of suicide.
He revealed that people told him to “figure it out yourself” and claimed that after calling the Garda “so many times”, a guard told him that if he contacted them again, “they would lock me up for the night, problem solved”. ‘.
Lina Tantash embarked on a “sinister and sustained” campaign against Jarlath, bombarding him with messages and demanding he see her after accusing him of breaking a 21-clause “love contract”.
They had a brief sexual relationship after first meeting in a Dublin cafe, and it was only after Jarlath fled to the UK that Tantash was sentenced for her crime in 2018. In Ireland, the offense of stalking did not come into force until November. of 2023. .
Filmmaker Jarlath Rice (pictured) told Virgin Media One’s new documentary Stalked that the depressing experience was “very humiliating”. He previously said it left him on the brink of suicide.
Speaking in the documentary, which aired Monday, Jarlath recalled how Tantash left him a note asking if he could join him when he was at the cafe, he reported. The Irish sun.
He said he thought this way of meeting each other for the first time was “a little cute and a little fun” and said he “didn’t get any crazy vibes” from Tantash, who gave him his number.
But after weeks of seeing each other, they broke up. When she continued to contact him, he told her that he no longer wanted a relationship with her and asked her to leave him alone.
But she refused, claiming that he owed her more than €50,000 and even drew up a ‘love contract’ which stipulated that he must stop denying that they were in a relationship.
It also said that I should live with her three days a week, talk to her on the phone for at least 15 minutes every night, and be nice to her.
The Irishman constantly received calls, messages and emails from Tantash and, despite changing her number repeatedly, she always managed to contact him.
He even hired a private detective to track him down and contact his friends, family and co-workers.
Jarlath claimed she threatened suicide and even filmed her kicking in his door in 2012. However, when he called the Garda they apparently ignored him.
Lina Tantash (pictured) embarked on a “sinister and sustained” campaign against Jarlath, bombarding him with messages and demanding he see her after accusing him of breaking a 21-clause “love contract”.
‘I called the police many times. The guard said if I called again he would lock me up for the night, problem solved,” Jarlath said.
In April 2014, Jarlath and his girlfriend at the time were leaving his house when Tantash “physically attacked” him and “yelled” at his girlfriend.
‘She ripped my shoulder socket out. I felt it burst and I was in agony. She tried to put me through a glass window. I thought she was going to kill me,” she said.
Tantash was fined after pleading guilty to Section 2 assault and threatening behavior in a public place, the publication reported.
Jarlath desperately struggled to escape Tantash’s attentions and eventually moved from Dublin to Brighton, East Sussex, where he began working as a university tutor.
But Tantash, then a “highly respected” project manager at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin, followed him from Dublin and took up a new role in London.
Her campaign of harassment intensified after she suspected Jarlath had begun a relationship with her work colleague Sarah Bolland.
Miss Bolland, who was not romantically involved with Mr Rice, was devastated by the abusive calls.
They had a brief sexual relationship after first meeting in a Dublin cafe, and it was only after Jarlath fled to the UK that Tantash was sentenced for her crime in 2018. In Ireland, the offense of stalking did not come into force until November. of 2023.
But after reporting his behavior to police in England, where harassment has been a crime since 2012, Tantash was eventually arrested.
She was charged with one count of harassing Mr Rice between July 2015 and February 2018 and one count of harassing Miss Bolland. She was convicted following a trial at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.
Tantash was sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of harassment in 2018.
In a victim impact statement at his sentencing, Jarlath said the campaign of harassment had left him on the verge of suicide and he had been in “desperation”.
He said: ‘For over 10 years I have had to live with verbal, mental and physical abuse. The aggressive and abusive dismantling of my life has left me vulnerable, scared and exhausted.’
He said: He had been “pushed deep into depression” and added: “At my worst I have gone through periods of despair with suicidal ideation.”
In his defense, Tantash said he came from a stable, upper-middle-class family but suffered from mental illness.
He claimed to have repaid Jarlath’s significant debts and supported his career in exchange for a romantic engagement.
Miss Bolland said: “It is a strange and terrible experience when someone psychologically harasses you in this way.” It’s a horrible feeling. It’s amazing how much it can affect your life, your mood, your thoughts.’
Teresa Mulrooney, defending, said: “Miss Tantash deeply regrets her behavior and has come to understand the impact it has had.”
In 2018, police figures showed that a third of harassment victims were men; 41 of 46 police forces across the UK dealt with 1,800 cases of harassment against men between 2014 and 2017.
But it is believed that the figure was actually much higher, as around 85 per cent of bullying victims do not report the incident to the police.
According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, more than 1.2 million people were harassed in the year ending March 2016, of which 759,000 were women and the other 450,000 were men.
Figures obtained by BBC 5 Live investigates It found that almost half (47 percent) of harassment crimes reported by male victims were committed by other men.
The Freedom of Information request showed figures from 41 of the 46 British police forces asked about harassment.
For help and support, contact Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org