Cork woman shares “terrifying” stalker ordeal by work colleague

"I just wanted there to be a record in case anything happened to me or anyone else."

An Irish woman has spoken out about her stalker ordeal on RTÉ's Claire Byrne Live. Una Ring went into detail on the show about her "absolutely terrifying" ordeal which involved a work colleague. James Steele, a 52-year-old salesman from west Cork, has since been sentenced to seven years in prison for attempted burglary with intent to rape. She told Claire they met through work and they "were not friends, we were purely work colleagues." She spoke about a time when Steele asked her to help him organise a conference, "we went into the conference room where we were meant to be setting up the stuff and there was nothing there."

“When he mentioned my daughter, I was in a state of panic” - Una Ring

Claire Byrne Live hears from Cork woman Una Ring who describes her horrifying ordeal with a stalker. #CBLive pic.twitter.com/ts5XHEcLct

— Claire Byrne Live (@ClaireByrneLive) February 8, 2021

"It was literally just a table. There was no chairs, no white boards and I was like 'I'm in trouble here'. So I turned around and said 'what's going on?' and next thing his arms were around me and he was trying to kiss me and I just kept moving. All I could do was move my head away because his arms were around my arms." "I was just asking him to stop and I said 'I don't want this' and he kept saying 'You won't know until you try' and I kept pleading with him to stop." In the end, she managed to get away from Steele but the harassment didn't stop there. Una only contacted him when it was to do with work but last year, he told her, "As I have not heard from you, I am going to call to your house. I told him, 'Don't call to my house, don't contact me again.' He said fine." Una said she suffered from anxiety and she sad she "was very, very uneasy. I felt quite unwell and anxious. Every time the phone beeped, I wondered was that going to be him? Every knock on the door. The fear was instilled in me - will he find out where I live?"

I heard muffled voices outside and the clank of the crowbar that he threw into the driveway next door - Una Ring

Una Ring tells Claire about being subjected to a chilling campaign of harassment by a man who tried to break into her house to rape her. #CBLive pic.twitter.com/XwScF5Scya

— Claire Byrne Live (@ClaireByrneLive) February 8, 2021

She found herself so terrified of the situation that she went to the guards and made a statement, "I just wanted there to be a record in case anything happened to me or anyone else." Throughout the months Steele turned up at her house, and sent her letters. "It was absolutely terrifying. The fact he mentioned my daughter [in the letter] brought it to a whole other level. I was in a state of panic." After she went to the guards she said they kept watch over the house. Steele was caught armed with a crowbar, on her property and the guards who had been watching the house arrested him. Una's advice to women is to go to the guards if you find yourself in a similar situation. "They will look after you, they will protect you. I owe them everything, they were so kind. They went above and beyond." In a tweet the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre thanked Una Ring for sharing her story. "It's so important to know support is available. RCC 24-Hour Helpline 1800 77 8888."