A 46-year-old Portuguese dentist was sentenced to two years and three months in prison in Ireland for harassing her ex-girlfriend.
The court found that Andreia Funico, as identified, harassed her former partner for months after their breakup by creating fake profiles on social media and dating apps. These actions resulted in the victim receiving numerous sexually charged calls from men at all hours, with some even showing up at her home.
Andreia also created fake Instagram accounts in her ex-girlfriend’s name to send intimate and explicit material to family and friends. The court further established that she was responsible for graffiti at her parents’ house that read: “gay liar.”
Faced with the evidence, Andreia pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years and three months in prison. Judge Martin Nolan highlighted the premeditated nature of the crime, describing Andreia as “devious” and aware of the harm she was causing to the victim, a former police officer.
The victim described Andreia as a “monster,” revealing that the actions led to significant trauma. “I dealt with many dangerous situations in the police force and confronted some of the most feared figures in organized crime in Ireland, but I never felt such fear. My home, where I should have felt safe, became a realm of terror for me,” she admitted.
Andreia and the victim met on a dating app in July 2022. Authorities stated that the relationship quickly became “intense.” However, by the end of the same year, just a few months later, the relationship ended, and the ex-police officer informed the dentist of her plans to spend Christmas in Australia with her family. This marked the start of the incessant phone calls from strangers.
The terror continued even in Australia, where the victim discovered the creation of eight fake Instagram accounts in her name, with friends and family viewing semi-nude videos and photos of her, recorded without her knowledge during a WhatsApp video call with Andreia when they were still dating.
Because of the distress, the former police officer had to extend her stay in Australia to seek medical treatment.
Upon returning to Ireland, the situation worsened, with unknown men arriving at her door for unarranged sexual encounters.
Andreia, who also practices in Portugal, was arrested in April 2023 during one of her visits to Ireland to attend consultations. Initially denying the harassment, her mobile phone revealed all evidence, with her number linked to some of the accounts.
In court, Defense Attorney Diana Stuart argued that her client had severe mental health issues that “persist to this day” and that her actions were motivated by “fear, exasperation, and a fragile mental state.” Stuart also stated that Andreia was remorseful and aware of the “cruel, unjustifiable pain” inflicted on her ex-girlfriend.
The attorney requested that Andreia not be sent to prison, as she is the sole caregiver for her ill elderly mother in Portugal.
Andreia promised not to return to Ireland nor contact the victim. After the sentencing, Diana Stuart requested permission for her client to return to Portugal to visit her elderly mother “probably for the last time,” but the judge denied the request.
Two years ago, an investigation revealed that the dentist had been practicing in various clinics in Ireland without proper registration with the country’s Dental Council.
