A man allegedly breached a restraining order by posting on Facebook about Belfast’s Lord Mayor, a court has heard.
Karlis Leists (39) is also accused of publishing a video recorded outside Belfast City Hall in defiance of a ban on pestering or intimidating Tracy Kelly.
The DUP councillor says she now lives in fear of the defendant, a judge was told.
Leists faces charges of breaching a restraining order and a separate offence of harassing staff at a community organisation in south Belfast.
It was claimed that on one occasion, a woman who works at the Greater Village Regeneration Trust had to lock herself in the bathroom of their premises.
Leists, of Claremont Street in Belfast, was refused bail and remanded in custody.
He is forbidden from harassing Ms Kelly along with other named members of the DUP, Sinn Féin and Alliance under a five-year restraining order imposed last November.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he allegedly breached the prohibition by posting on Facebook over a period between July 18 and August 12.
Ms Kelly, who was appointed Lord Mayor in June, told police the posts were about her and that she had been tagged in them.
“She believed (they) were directed at her to cause her fear, pester and harass her on a daily basis,” an investigating detective said.
“He also posted a video outside her place of work at City Hall. She stated that she lives in fear of the defendant.”
Leists was said to have ranted incoherently during police interviews, where he accepted having tagged Ms Kelly in the posts.
“He stated it was freedom of speech, the information needed to be put out there…and she needed to know this information,” the detective added.
Judge Noel Dunlop also heard Leists had repeatedly attended the Greater Village Regeneration Trust’s offices on Donegall Road over the last month.
On one occasion he paced around the premises, speaking about his previous dealings with politicians and the restraining order.
Referring to the latest incident on August 12, the detective said: “Such was the state of fear of the injured party that she refused to let him in, locked herself in a bathroom and phoned the police.”
Bail was opposed amid claims the accused is determined to contact politicians and cannot be contained.
Leists refused to leave the courthouse cells to enter the dock during the hearing.
His solicitor, Paul Dougan, acknowledged wider issues of abuse being directed at elected representatives across the UK.
“There is a fine line between what constitutes harassment and disagreement with matters that politicians may talk about,” he submitted.
Mr Dougan argued that the alleged breach of the restraining order was limited to tagging the Lord Mayor in online posts.
“There has been no direct confrontation with that complainant,” he stressed.
Citing potential issues around freedom of expression, Mr Dougan added that Leists has also been selected to marshal at basketball championships in his native Latvia later this month.
Bail was denied, however, based on the risk he could commit further offences.
Remanding him in custody and directing a psychiatric assessment, Judge Dunlop held: “I can’t be satisfied that he can be restrained at all.”