A former parliamentary assistant has admitted hacking the Twitter account of local MEP Luke Flanagan.
RTE is reporting this lunchtime, that Diarmuid Hayes, aged 34, from Dublin, was convicted in a Belgian court of posting a picture of former Green Party candidate in Mayo Saoirse McHugh from the MEP’s account in September 2020.
A Belgian public prosecutor has sought a one year prison term for Mr. Hayes.
MEP Flanagan claimed offensive comments about pictures of Saoirse McHugh were posted from his Twitter account after it was hacked.
The Independent Midlands-Northwest MEP claimed that a message was posted from the account by a third party against his will and knowledge, and that it was extremely damaging. The message was subsequently deleted.
Ms McHugh, and Emma Sheering, currently an assistant of MEP Flanagan, were later named in court documents as victims in the case.
MEP Flanagan reported the incident, and after an investigation by European Parliament authorities the matter was handed over to Belgian police.
It is understood the case involves two alleged breaches of Belgian law.
One is the fraudulent access of another person’s social media account, the second involves the changing of data on the account.
