Former garda, 39, impersonated female colleague online & incited men to rape her as victim slams ‘unspeakable' plot
A FORMER garda said a colleague carried out a 'calculated, predatory act of violence' by impersonating her online and inciting men to come to her home and rape her.
Shane Flanagan, 39, with an address in Co
He created the accounts using the woman's personal information, and shared details including her address, and photos of her and her daughters.
Flanagan pleaded guilty to two counts of inciting two men to rape the woman on dates between November and December 2020.
He also pleaded guilty to six counts of endangerment, in that he intentionally or recklessly engaged in impersonating the woman in Facebook communications, and on the website FetLife.com.
Reading her victim impact statement, the woman said Flanagan was a fellow
Read more in News
She said that Flanagan had 'plotted' to have her and her daughters attacked, and he 'planned for men to find us and carry out unspeakable acts of violence'.
The
In a letter of apology read to the court, Flanagan said that he felt 'deep guilt, shame' and understands 'I did not just cause fear, I destroyed a sense of fear, dignity and trust'.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon remanded Flanagan in custody for finalisation of sentence next month.
Most read in Irish News
1
Shane Flanagan impersonated the woman on the fetish website FetLife.com and on Facebook for the purpose of arranging for people to come to her home and rape her
Credit: IrishPhotoDesk.ie
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Human leg washed up on popular beach identified as man missing from Ireland as cops issue update after walker's find
HUMAN REMAINS that washed up on a popular Scottish beach have been linked to the body of a man missing from Northern Ireland. The body part was found on Prestwick Beach in A person on the beach uncovered the leg under seaweed while out walking on the beach. They alerted authorities after discovering the leg bone still wearing a sock and shoe. And In a statement they said: "Around 10.45am on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, we received a report that human remains had been discovered on Prestwick Beach in Ayrshire. READ MORE IN NEWS 'The remains have now been identified as those of a missing person from outside of Scotland. "The relevant police service has been informed." Police in A MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN "The remains were determined to be male, and police are engaging with the family of the deceased. PSNI chief slams 'hateful and criminal behaviour' from 'far-right' 'thugs' in Belfast "The death is not being treated as suspicious." The walker who made the grim find They explained: "I was walking along the beach early on Tuesday morning when I came across a leg bone. "It was buried under some seaweed. It was just a bone with the sock and shoe still on it." 1 The discovery was made by a walker across the water Credit: Getty Images
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Chilling vid shows shark chase boy, 16, as he was hauled out of water with ‘arm left hanging off by sinew' after attack
THIS is the unbelievable moment a shark chased a teen as he was hauled out of the water following an attack that left his arm hanging off by sinew. Emergency services were called to at Cabarita Beach on New South Wales ' north coast, Australia just before 4pm on Sunday. Advertisement 6 Rescuers were stalked by the creature as they saved the boy Credit: 9 NEWS 6 Multiple people rushed to help the boy Credit: 9 NEWS 6 The 16-year-old was carried from the scene on a surfboard Credit: 9 NEWS The nearly seven-foot beast - suspected to be a bull shark - Jaw-dropping footage showed fellow surfers and swimmers rushing to help the teen while the shark lurked closely behind him - visible only by its gargantuan fin. Screams could be heard in the background as a brave person punched the shark while others scrambled to safety. But rescuers continued to be stalked by the creature as they carried the injured boy to safety. Advertisement read more news One shocked onlooker exclaimed in the clip: "Oh my God, that's the shark." And another said: "Oh f***! That's really scary!" Thankfully an off-duty paramedic was at the scene and helped the teen using a tourniquet to help stop the excessive bleeding. One of the heroes who raced to help the boy after hearing his deafening screams was Brazilian Thiago Collel. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Breaking Recalling the horror incident, he explained how the boy sustained injuries that left one of his arms hanging off by a thread of sinew. The 39-year-old told Girl, 9, mauled by shark at popular US beach as horrified parents hear her screams and watch water turn red with blood "His bicep was destroyed - you could see all the muscle, flesh and bone. "He lost a scary amount of blood. I was covered in it." Advertisement The group then carried the boy out to safety on a surfboard they used as a makeshift stretcher. Collel said he and several others "were just trying to keep him calm, holding his head and making sure he was okay". He added: "I just kept talking to him and he told me how he fought off the shark by kicking and punching it away." The boy was then airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Advertisement He remains here in serious but stable condition, the news site added. A second chopper was deployed to track down the shark after the horror incident, but to no avail. The species of shark currently remains unknown, but locals believe it was a bull shark. Some even fear it could be a two-metre great white. Advertisement 6 The teen was dragged out and mauled by a shark Credit: 9 NEWS 6 The horror incident was captured on camera Credit: 9 NEWS 6 The boy was then airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Credit: 9 NEWS
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Pride group founder, 42, who raped 12-year-old boy he met on dating app Grindr is jailed alongside partner
A PRIDE group founder who raped a 12-year-old boy he met on the Grindr dating app has been locked up alongside his partner. Stephen Ireland, who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018, raped an 'extremely vulnerable' boy and has been jailed for 24 years. 4 Stephen Ireland, who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018 Credit: Facebook 4 Ireland told the boy they would have to keep his age a "secret" and found his young age "exciting", the court heard Credit: Facebook 4 Stephen Ireland was sentenced to 24 years in prison Credit: Surrey Police The 42-year-old raped the child at a flat he shared with his then-partner and co-defendant David Sutton, 27, in Addlestone on April 19 2024. The court heard Ireland had arranged for the 12-year-old boy, referred to in court as Child A, to meet him at his flat after messaging on dating app Ireland told the boy they would have to keep his age a "secret" and found his young age "exciting", the court heard. The boy, who had been reported missing at the time, told police they had sex in the flat, smoked a bong which was later found to have contained methamphetamine, and that pornography was played on a laptop. Read more Judge Patricia Lees, sentencing at Guildford Crown Court on Monday, told the hearing Ireland 'took advantage' of a vulnerable child. She said: 'Stephen Ireland is a man who prided himself on being versed in and highly alive to the vulnerabilities of young people linked to the Surrey Pride organisation he was at the time pivotal to. 'A was quite obviously to any adult an extremely vulnerable child who was highly sexualised. 'Any responsible adult would have quickly appreciated that there was a high likelihood A is a young man who had been the subject of sexual grooming by adult men at a very early age and been concerned for him instead of taking advantage of him.' Most read in The Sun The court heard the boy had initially told Ireland he was aged 17 – but when he later claimed to be aged 13, Ireland replied: 'OK – we just have to keep it a secret.' 'Your response was telling,' Judge Lees told Ireland, who sat in the dock dressed in a large red T-shirt and showed no emotions throughout the hearing. 'Far from finding that repugnant, you found that exciting, and sought to do it again.' In a Telegram chat that took place after their encounter, Ireland sent Child A a message in which he described his age as 'naughty and kinky', the court heard. On the same day, Ireland asked the boy if he would have a threesome and sent the child pictures of himself and Sutton. Jurors heard that Ireland sent a picture of Child A to Sutton, describing him as a '14-year-old baby' who 'wants to play with men's bodies', and the pair exchanged messages about the child. Ireland and Sutton, who was a volunteer for Surrey Pride, were found guilty of a string of sexual offences against children. These included voyeurism, arranging commission of a child sex offence, and possession of prohibited images of children, after a trial at Guildford Crown Court earlier this year. In August 2022, Ireland and Sutton discussed arrangements to procure a 13-year-old boy for Sutton's 25th birthday in October of that year, the court heard. Both men were also sentenced on one count each of voyeurism after Ireland watched live camera footage of Sutton having sex with another 16-year-old boy at their flat in March 2024. The teenager did not know he was being recorded, with Ireland sending Sutton messages such as 'he doesn't know I'm here' and telling him what to do, the court heard. 'You fed off one another,' Judge Lees told the defendants during the sentence hearing on Monday. 'You definitely supported one another in your perversions.' Ireland and Sutton also perverted the course of justice by intentionally deleting material and search history from their phones after they were released on police bail in June 2024. Ireland was sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment, with a further six on extended licence. He was found guilty of one count of rape, three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child, arranging commission of a child sex offence, six counts of making indecent photographs of children, four counts of distributing indecent photographs of children, possession of prohibited images, and possession of an extreme pornographic image. Sutton was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for offences including voyeurism, possession and distribution of prohibited images of children, and perverting the course of justice. Ireland's defence lawyer Alex Kirkler told the court his client did not abuse his position within the Surrey Pride organisation to commit these offences. 4 The 42-year-old raped the child at a flat Credit: Facebook
