Relatives of Eilish Hennessy received obscene Christmas cards in 2016 (Picture: Getty)

A 63-year-old grandmother has appeared in court charged with sending obscene Christmas cards to her family which had pictures of penises scrawled on them.

Eilish Hennessy is also accused of faking an 87-year-old relative’s signature in a bid to get her home care stopped.

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Hennessy, of Ballyroan, County Laois, Ireland, appeared at Portlaoise District Court on Thursday charged under the Postal Services Act.

The Leinster Express reported Detective Garda Conor Egan told the court: ‘Around Christmas, 2016, the injured parties in the case received cards and letters from the accused which were obscene, with images of male genitalia on them.




‘All the injured parties were relations of the accused, except one who employed her daughter.’

Margaret Conroy, the accused’s first cousin, told the court she had just buried her sister when her grieving mother received the obscene Christmas card.

Eilish Hennessy appeared at Portlaoise District Court (Picture: Google)

But they recognised the writing from a sympathy note from the week before.

Ms Conroy said: ‘For someone to use the same pen to write that letter to my mother, who was 87, is bad, sad and mad. I’m ashamed to say she’s a first cousin of mine.’

Hennessy is also accused of writing fake letters to authorities asking for her 87-year-old relatives home care services to be stopped.

The court heard a family row ‘possibly over land’ is believed to have sparked Hennessy to write the obscene Christmas cards.

In mitigation, Hennessy’s defence said she had no previous convictions, had written letters of apology and was undergoing serious cancer treatment.

The case was was adjourned to July 19 for a probation report.

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