Public relations consultant Monica Leech told the High Court today she was physically sick on the side of the road after hearing crude and vulgar comments made about her by a caller to a radio programme in 2004.
Ms Leech said she was listening to the Livelineshow while driving to Dublin on December 16th of that year and was "absolutely shocked" to hear such crude words - which she claims wrongly meant she had performed sexual acts for then minister for the environment Martin Cullen in exchange for public contracts - said about her on RTÉ. She felt sickened, cheapened and that it was unfair.
She had pulled into the hard shoulder, was quite upset and shaking, and was physically sick.
It was "absolutely not true" that she had ever had a non-business relationship with Mr Cullen, she said. Her husband had gone to school with Mr Cullen and would have known him much better than she did.
When she arrived back in Waterford that night, she was devastated to see the faces of her husband and sons and to see how upset they were, she said.
The only reassurance that night was what had been said was over but her brother then phoned her very early the next morning to say the Irish Independenthad repeated what was said on Liveline, Ms Leech said. It was a day when she found it very hard to get out of bed and face into business meetings where "decent people would not meet my eyes". The article stopped people doing business with her, she said.
She was hugely offended that a paper which she held in such high regard could make a decision overnight to "shred" her repuation for "some small amusement" for themselves and the nation.
RTÉ was "absolutely and utterly appalling" and "utterly careless with my life", she said. "I'm not a soap opera here, I'm not fair game for the amusement of people, it's my life, I don't get to live it again."
Ms Leech said she was unable to put a figure on her total earnings from public contracts secured by her from the Office of Public Works and Department of the Environment. The court heard she got her first contract from the OPW in late 2001.
Ms Leech said that, after Mr Cullen was appointed junior minister sometime in 2001, he had told her a couple of projects were coming on and his office would be in touch with her. She was given a six month contract in late 2001, which was extended to seven months.
She said she secured further short-term contracts in 2002 and 2003. Her daily rate was €650 and she did not have records of hours worked but the work which required to be done in relation to the contracts was done.
A subsequent inquiry by a senior civil servant had found there was nothing improper in the awarding of the contracts to Ms Leech.
Ms Leech was giving evidence on the second day of her action alleging she was libelled in the Irish Independentarticle of Decemnber 17th 2004.
