'Trusted' uncle who livestreamed sexual assault of sleeping 12-year-old nephew pleads guilty
The child's mother, who was away, received a 1.45 am phone message from her distraught son saying: 'Mam, I need to tell you something'.
The Midlands man in his forties also secretly filmed a friend's daughter using the toilet, and pleaded guilty to sexual assault, possession and production of child pornography on dates in 2021 and will be sentenced in November. Child sexual abuse material is referred to as 'child pornography' in law.
The man is not being identified to protect the victims' right to anonymity.
At Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Keenan Johnson berated the accused for his exploitation of vulnerable children through these horrific crimes.
Revoking his bail and ordering psychiatric and probation reports, Judge Johnson emphasised that this type of offence carried a significant penalty because of the unprecedented damage and hurt caused to the victims and the wider family involved.
Detective Garda David Mead from the Divisional Protective Services Unit outlined how the boy detailed what happened in a specialist interview.
He fell asleep on a couch but woke to find the accused rubbing his penis with the palm of his hand under his clothes.
He revealed that he awoke because of the glow of his uncle 'shining his phone in his face' and saw 'a random guy'. It was an adult, in the web chat on the screen, 'touching himself as well'.
The terrified boy ran to his room and hurriedly sent a Snapchat message to his mother.
He told gardaí, 'I felt like puking, really scared'.
The court heard his mother returned and asked what had happened, and he told her everything was okay.
However, her concerns resurfaced when she later learned that her brother had befriended another young boy and allowed him to take showers in his workplace.
The victim's parents broached the subject again, and this time their son disclosed the abuse.
In a raw victim statement, the boy's mother, holding back tears, turned to face her brother, saying her son had 'trusted and loved you so much, and you took advantage of him.
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She spoke out, saying the boy has been devastated and left confused.
'I have lost my brother, and best friend that I truly loved. I am so angry,' adding, 'you have ripped our family apart'
Concluding her impact statement, she highlighted how he denied it and dragged out the case for three years, and told him, 'You caused the heartbreak that comes with that; today is the day I get justice'.
Gardaí searched a property he used and found his phone also had two covert video recordings of a girl aged 10-12 using the toilet and showing her vagina. His voice could be heard in the background of the videos, which lasted about 46 seconds.
The girl's mother was shocked when gardaí contacted her. She had known him through work and found him immature, and noticed he had been texting and inviting her son to come over.
The mother of the girl he covertly recorded told him he stole her daughter's innocence, and she no longer feels safe, suffers distress and anxiety.
The man sat with his head bowed and was in tears, but he did not address the court.
During his garda interview, he attempted to convince investigators that the phone's rear camera had activated when the flashlight was turned on, which was later found to be impossible.
He told gardaí that he was homosexual and not interested in girls.
He also had software to wipe his computer and had attempted to delete the Tor browser and another app for anonymous internet use.
However, gardaí recovered a two-minute video of one of his web chats where he spoke to a child, initially thinking it was a girl, but said 'even better' on hearing it was a boy.
He encouraged that child to expose himself and masturbate. He did not show his face in the video chat, but the background matched his room.
The court heard that he was using an online platform for random web chats with individuals.
The charges can carry maximum sentences of five, ten, and 14 years.
He had prior convictions for public order, criminal damage, driving offences, and failing to appear in court.
The defence said the accused had a difficult childhood and had been referred to a psychiatrist, but was still on a waiting list.
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The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- The Irish Sun
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A shocking online abuse ring that began in China is now taking root in the UK, with faceless, cowardly thugs charging for horrific torture videos inspired by a notorious killer KITTEN SLAYERS My beloved cat Morris was mutilated & killed by sick torture cult – how psychos target YOUR pets to abuse in vile videos EXCITEDLY opening a video sent from an unknown number, Caroline Prater's heart fluttered as she believed her beloved missing cat Morris had finally been found. Within moments she was 'completely destroyed' as the footage revealed her pet's lifeless body, having been all but decapitated and subjected to hours of torture for the pleasure of a demented online cult. 11 Caroline Prater has been scarred for life by the horrific torture and killing of her 11-year-old cat Morris Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 11 Footage of the beloved pet's mutilated corpse was sent to Caroline and shared amongst ghouls online Credit: SWNS 11 Vile murderer Luke Magnotta is feared to have inspired a growing online cult of cat abusers A shocking new investigation has discovered how thousands of sickos across the world - including Brits and children as young as ten - are sharing videos of cats being mutilated in vile online torture groups. Chillingly, it is claimed the depraved international network is so prolific that an execution or torture video has been uploaded every 14 hours over the space of a year. Among the most chilling discoveries were a three-month-old kitten allegedly impaled by children and another caged cat lowered to its death in boiling water. And now, experts have warned The Sun of potential links between the abominable abuse ring and a famous cat torturer and killer, warning such attacks could even escalate to murder in extreme cases. The sick snuff films are typically created by animal abusers in China, but increasingly police are investigating troubling links to the UK, too, after a spate of animal violence. This week, two Londoners, 16 and 17, who can't be named for legal reasons, were sentenced after cutting and stringing up cats in a grisly scene that involved knives, blowtorches and scissors. Caroline, 55, from Cadbury Heath, Bristol, knows the trauma such attacks can cause all too well after the 'absolutely horrific' videos of her 11-year-old therapy cat were posted to Snapchat for the 'thrill' of viewers. She tells The Sun: 'It's so harrowing. 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Chillingly, UK-based members were found discussing how to adopt kittens from the RSPCA, with one monster posting a picture of an advert of cats for sale, saying they wanted to "torture them so bad", according to the BBC. Feline Guardians discovered 24 active groups this year alone, with the largest boasting more than 1,000 members. The most prolific user is said to have filmed 200 videos. We never found Morris, we don't know what happened to his body, all we found was blood and lots of fur stuck to the road Caroline Prater "I'm 10 years old and I like to torture cats," the member of one of these twisted forums proclaimed. Inside the groups, the discussions were described as 'the depths of evil' by activist Lara, of Feline Guardians, who went undercover. She found posts encouraging users to guess how long a cat could survive without food and others claimed they electrocuted animals to resuscitate them during torture sprees, prolonging their agony. 11 Kittens are being purchased to be tortured online, a new investigation has found Credit: BBC 11 Georgina Barnes and her cat Bubba, who was mutilated by a cat killer Credit: Damien McFadden 11 Murderer Scarlet Blake pictured in a cat-killing video Credit: PA 11 The monster was found guilty last year of murdering Jorge Martin Carreno Credit: PA Another self-proclaimed 'cat-lover community' urged members to 'submit your work' and some only allowed entry if they submitted evidence of them abusing pets. One particularly twisted group held a '100 cat kill competition' in September 2023 to see how quickly they could reach their target. 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Sunday World
31-07-2025
- Sunday World
Man who supplied Irish crime gangs with weapons and ammo faces 14 years in jail
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Irish Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Youth took money off man, threatened to kill him and then went to his bedroom
A teenager has been given two years detention for the false imprisonment of another young man. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment with other counts to be taken into consideration at a location in Dublin on June 15, 2023. He was aged 15 at the time of the offending and had ten previous convictions from the Children's Court, including seven convictions for theft, one for attempted robbery, one for assault causing harm and one for production of a knife. He was also on bail at the time of this offending. Detective Garda John Hayes from Blanchardstown Garda Station told Stephen Montgomery BL, prosecuting, that a young man then aged 19 was travelling on a bus in the Clonsilla area of Dublin in May 2023. Neither the accused or the victim were known to the other. The detective told the court that the accused was larger in stature than the injured party. 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He said he was always 'looking over his shoulder' and said he 'can never relax on public transport'. He still has trouble sleeping. Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, said his client was forthright with the Probation Services and is apologetic, showing empathy towards the victim in his case. He stated that his client has taken responsibility for his actions and told the probation officer that he deserves a prison sentence. Counsel said his client was 15 at the time of the offending. He said that his client's parents do not condone this behaviour and are very pro-social people. He said his client 'self-reports that he has used cannabis but is now self-reporting that he is clear at present. He said his client is expressing regret for his actions. On Thursday, Judge Martina Baxter noted the defendant had two knives with him and the 'brazenness' of going to the victim's home. 'It wasn't as if it was a once-off situation, the judge said. It was clear that the 'fear and threat' was 'pervasive and real,' said the judge. Judge Baxter said she had to have regard for his previous convictions. She said the victim was bullied and traumatised 'while going about his business'. She said a significant factor was that the accused was 15 at the time but noted he was 'back in adverse company'. 'Clearly there has to be an intervention,' said Judge Baxter. She said the aggravating factors were the effects on the victim who is 'constantly in fear', the threats and the menace. In mitigation she took account of his age and that the Children's Act states detention is 'the last resort'. Judge Baxter imposed two years detention on him. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
