Irishman sentenced over antisemitic death threats

Australian Sharon Kuperholz says the Irishman who threatened to shoot her in a French supermarket now knows he is not untouchable, but she believes courts are still too soft on offenders.

Patrick O’Brien, 60, originally from Dublin and now living near Avignon, was convicted by the Avignon Criminal Court of attempting to justify crimes against humanity and making death threats aggravated by their antisemitic nature.

He received a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay €500 each to Kuperholz and her husband Mark, and €300 each to Jewish groups CHAR (Campaign against Hate, Antisemitism, Racism) and B’nai B’rith.

Prosecutors had sought a three-year ban from French territory.

“That would have been a nice message,” Mrs Kuperholz told The AJN.