A man who shared hundreds of “vile” and “depraved” images of child sex acts and revealed child rape fantasies in online chat rooms from his Limerick home has been jailed for 12 months.
At the man’s sentencing hearing today at Limerick Circuit Court, Judge Tom O’Donnell described the case as “deeply disturbing”.
The nature of these types of cases are “perverse” and involve the “highest level of abuse and depravity”, he said.
Sentencing the man, the judge said the “Irish courts must protect children”, and he added, “child pornography is not a victimless crime”.
He said: “There are serious effects on the children. All of the victims here were all very young children."
The defendant was caught after another man informed gardaí that he had been sent unsolicited online explicit material involving children.
The witness, who was not involved whatsoever in the defendant’s crimes had placed an ad online, seeking to have “no strings attached sex” with adult men.
The defendant shared links to images and videos depicting sex acts involving children.
He also engaged with others, not the witness, through online forums, in sexually explicit chats relating to having fantasies about sexually abusing children.
In one of the online exchanges, the defendant stated he was “looking to rape a young lad”.
These online chats involved “graphic references to vile sexual acts on children”, added the judge.
When gardaí searched the defendant’s home, they discovered a laptop switched on and showing material of children involved in sex acts.
Guilty plea
The accused pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly distributing “child pornography”, which carries a maximum 14 years on conviction on indictment.
He also admitted one count of knowingly possessing 241 images files as well as three video files, all containing “child pornography”, and which carries a maximum five year jail sentence.
The defendant shared illegal and sexually explicit material involving girls and boys under 10 years old.
The offences occurred on unknown dates between April 2014 and November 2015.
The defendant, who the court ordered could not be identified, co-operated fully with the Garda investigation and pleaded guilty which avoided the necessitating of a trial.
Judge O’Donnell said the defendant told gardaí he would have “never followed through” on his online comments.
The defendant, who had no previous convictions, “expressed remorse” for his actions, the court heard.
A psychiatric report carried out found that it was “abundantly clear” the defendant “has had strong metal health issues for years and was on and off his medications”, the judge noted.
The report also stated the defendant “lived a lonely and detached lifestyle”.
Taking into account all of the factors in the case, including the defendant’s “personal circumstances”, the judge jailed the defendant for two and half years with the final 18 months suspended, and ordered he be placed on a national list of sexual offenders for ten years.
The judge also imposed a 18-month post sentence supervision order, and ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the material found by gardaí on the defendant’s laptop.
