Íris says family holds a grudge against her

Íris Helga Jónatansdóttir says longstanding hostility from a family is behind the allegations against her, mbl.is reports. Testimony about communications between Íris and the immediate family of a woman was heard at Reykjanes District Court. The woman is the partner of Íris’s former boyfriend, and her parents and brother are said to have received threatening messages from Íris. She denies the charges.

Many of the charges concern alleged offences against Íris’s former boyfriend and his partner. Íris says the family has joined forces with other complainants in the case to get back at her.

Íris is accused of repeatedly sending threatening messages containing insulting remarks about the woman to her father. She says he worked at the same workplace as her, where her daughter also attended sports training, and that he harassed both of them. Íris says he was trying to catch her sending threats to his family and demanded an explanation from her daughter about an incident in which syrup was put through the partner’s letterbox. Her daughter admitted to child protection authorities that she had done it, Íris said. The father was eventually required to change shifts to avoid contact with Íris’s daughter.

Íris is also accused of sending the woman’s mother messages threatening family members, including the woman’s children. Íris says the mother bullied her for years, dating back to when they worked together. She says the mother kept watch on her and her children, frequently sitting in her car on their street, and once followed them into a shop. Íris reported the incident to police.

Another charge alleges that Íris sent the woman’s brother messages threatening the lives of the woman and her husband, including a threat to set their apartment on fire. Íris says the brother came to her home three or four times wearing a balaclava and threatened to kill her and her children. Police attended one incident and captured it on a body camera, she said. Íris says the matter was swept under the rug and that she and her children still fear the brother.