A council worker who sent former Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter a barrage of antisemitic emails has been sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

John Dillon, 55, of Whitethorn Gardens, Palmerstown, Dublin pleaded guilty to harassment of Mr Shatter from February until April 8 2014 at Dublin District Court.

Mr Shatter was bombarded with abusive emails calling him a “perfidious Jew” and a “Yiddish whore”.

Dillon sent the then minister 10 emails over a five-week period.

Judge Anthony Halpin said Dillon had subjected Mr Shatter to “contemptuous ridicule and was seeking to justify it by freedom of speech”.