Man arrested over ‘sinister’ stalking of Fianna Fáil senator and Euro candidate Lisa Chambers

He was arrested after being found hiding outside the home of a relative of the European parliamentary election candidate in a rural area near Castlebar, Co Mayo.

Gardaí described the incident, which happened two weeks ago, as “sinister and disturbing”, a source said.

It is understood the man attended an event at which the politician was speaking in a different county in the days before the incident and engaged her in conversation afterwards.

Days later, she was visiting a relative’s home when the suspect was spotted in the bushes outside.

It is understood he was in a state of undress with his belt removed and several buttons on his trousers undone.

A backpack he had been carrying was found in a nearby ditch. Gardaí were called and he was removed from the area.

It was established that he took a bus to Castlebar and walked several kilometres to the house in the belief it was her home.

She declined to comment on the matter.

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Ms Chambers was central to the introduction of stalking as a standalone criminal offence after drafting legislation that was signed into law last November.

A source close to Ms Chambers said she found the incident deeply distressing, but has continued with her commitments.

Family members are said to be extremely concerned, and someone now always attends canvassing and other events with her.

Ms Chambers previously spoke of harrowing experiences she and other female politicians have suffered.

In an interview with the Indo Daily Podcast in 2022, she revealed she once received a handwritten rape threat to her constituency office.

“I think from the moment you enter politics, people think you’re fair game,” she said.

“I think they speak to and about politicians in a very different way to how they would speak to any member of the public.

“I think we’re considered to have a thicker skin and it’s acceptable to say certain things to politicians.

“Unfortunately, there are people out there who think it’s OK to abuse politicians and others, and that has led to quite a toxic environment for us to operate in.

“I remember getting a letter to the office that was hand-delivered, threatening to rape me.

“The fact it was hand-delivered made me very scared. I was trying to not let on to the girls in the office I was worried about it.

“And I didn’t report it, and that was the wrong thing to do. I should have reported it.”

Gardaí do not believe the rape threat and the stalking incident are linked.

A garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí in the Mayo/Longford/­Roscommon Division investigating a complaint made by a public representative in the west of the country arrested a male in his 20s this week for an alleged offence.

“He was subsequently released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“An Garda Síochána continue to keep the public representative fully informed as to the progress of this investigation.