Sinn Féin MEP's ex-partner has sentence extended for offences under Coco's Law

By Louise Burne The Irish Examiner

The former partner of Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion has had his prison sentence for offences under Coco’s Law increased following an appeal, Louise Burne of The Irish Examiner reports.

Sean Tyrrell, 39, of 31 Cypress Grove, Loughboy, Kilkenny, was given a four-month custodial sentence in April 2025, with a separate four-month jail term suspended for two years, for offences under Section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, also known as Coco’s Law.

This has now been upgraded to a five-month custodial sentence.

The second sentence was also upgraded to five months but was suspended for two years, with Tyrrell told he must “keep the peace and be of good behaviour”, not to communicate with or about Ms Funchion, and not to contact or approach Ms Funchion in any manner.

The judge said that a custodial sentence was “warranted and inevitable”.

In October, Tyrrell’s barrister, David Roberts, asked the court to commission a probation report as he appealed the severity of the sentence. The court heard that Tyrrell had pleaded guilty and was not contesting this.

The case was heard again in Kilkenny Circuit Court on Monday, with Judge Cormac Quinn told by Mr Roberts that the probation report was as “detailed and lengthy a report” as he had seen and that it was “not positive” towards Tyrrell.

While it noted his attendance at probation meetings, it “set out concerning issues” relating to likelihood of reoffending.

Mr Roberts noted that the findings would have been guided by the probation officer’s interactions with Tyrrell and they “must have been of a negative nature” given the findings of the report.

However, they were not, he argued, influenced by previous convictions The court heard that Tyrrell is working as labour for a blocklayer in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, and noted that he has been having “some challenges in accommodation” and is residing with his employer on a “needs must basis”.

The barrister also said that Tyrrell had “engaged positively” with a CE scheme.

The probation report also said that he had a “long history” of drug and alcohol abuse which has “affected decision making on various occasions”. He has engaged with the HSE.

Judge Quinn reminded the court that the appeal had previously been heard on October 31 and Ms Funchion has reread her victim impact statement.

He said that Tyrrell had entered guilty pleas in the district court relating to offences taking place on four different dates.

Judge Quinn said Tyrrell’s actions had caused “huge concern” to Ms Funchion’s professional and personal life”.

He said the probation report was “not helpful” for Tyrrell’s case, as he argued that there had been a “breach of trust” in his relationship with Ms Funchion.

As he argued that a custodial sentence was “warranted and inevitable”, he increased the length of the custodial sentence from four months to five months. He also increased the term of the suspended sentence from four months to five months, suspended for two years on a bond of €100.

The court previously heard Tyrrell was a Sinn Féin party volunteer in 2016 when Ms Funchion was contesting the general election.

He worked in her constituency office, and they entered a “fractious” romantic relationship. They became engaged in December 2017.

The relationship broke down in July 2019, but the couple reconciled several months later and remained together until April 2022.

The court heard Tyrrell developed unfounded “trust issues". He requested access to Ms Funchion’s phone and email and asked her to take lie detector tests. She was also falsely accused of infidelity.

In August 2022, an email address linked to Tyrrell by gardaí contacted a journalist.

Screenshots of these emails were sent to Ms Funchion, and she was informed if she did not take a lie detector test and arrange a meeting for him with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, he would divulge “embarrassing allegations” to the reporter.

Another email from a different address, which was also linked to Tyrrell by gardaí, said the sender would divulge confidential information regarding Ms Funchion’s friends.