Latest news with #ChildTraffickingandPornographyAct
Sunday World
10-06-2025
- Sunday World
Teen (18) produced child pornography by sharing intimate images of girl (15), court told
As the female teenager was a minor at the time of the alleged offence, the man is also facing two charges under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act on November 15th 2022. A Clare teenager, just turned 18, posted a collage of intimate images of a 15 year old girl onto his Snapchat stories in a so-called Coco's Law prosecution, a court has heard. In the case before Kilrush District Court on Tuesday, the accused - now aged 20 - appeared in connection with being charged with three alleged offences over the posting of the intimate images in November 2022. Judge Alec Gabbett said that the case comes under Coco's Law, which is formally known as the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 which criminalises the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. In the case, the accused, aged 18 at the time, is charged with on November 15th 2022 publishing or distributing an intimate image of the female without her consent with the intention to cause her harm contrary to Section 2(1) and (3) of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2001. Stock image News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday June 10 As the female teenager was a minor at the time of the alleged offence, the man is also facing two charges under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act on November 15th 2022. The man is accused of knowingly having in his possession child pornography, the image of the female aged under 17 which, the charge says, depicts her genitals on the date. The man - accompanied to court by his mother and a sister - is also charged with producing child pornography for the purpose of distribution, publication, exportation, sale or show contrary to Section 5(1) of the Child Trafficking Act and Pornography Act1998. In court, Garda Nadine Keane, now of Roxboro Garda Station, Limerick said it will be alleged that the accused had in his possession a collage of four intimate images of the female on November 15th 2022 and posted them to his online Snapchat stories on the same date. Garda Keane said that one of the images depicting the girl's genitalia was a Category Two image as categorised under the Child Trafficking Act and Pornography Act. Judge Gabbett said that Category One would be regarded as the most serious followed by Category Two. Garda Keane said that the images were left online for a number of hours before they were taken down by the man who allegedly posted them. He continued by saying that the female - who turned 18 earlier this year - made a statement of complaint to Gardai and was interviewed by specialist Garda interviewers. The Garda said that the case was investigated by the Clare Division Protective Services Unit based at Crusheen. Garda Keane said that when charged at Kilrush Garda Station on May 29th, the accused made no reply after caution. He added that the DPP has directed that the case be heard in the district court on a plea of guilty only. After hearing an outline of the facts, Judge Gabbett said that he was declining district court jurisdiction and the case will now be transferred to the circuit court where more serious penalties apply on conviction. Judge Gabbett said that he was declining jurisdiction due to the seriousness of the alleged offences, the categorisation of the images and that the case warrants consideration by the circuit court taking into account the impact on the alleged injured party. The judge said that if the accused was aged under 18 at the time, he would have kept the case in the district court. In the district court, penalties for the Coco's Law offence can be up to one year on prison on conviction and Sgt John Burke said that before the circuit court, a 14 year prison term can apply on conviction. Judge Gabbett remanded the man on continuing bail to appear at Kilrush District Court to July 15th. Judge Gabbett imposed reporting restrictions on the identity of the accused and the injured party due to the age of the injured party at the time of the alleged offences.
Sunday World
01-06-2025
- Sunday World
Man caught with over 500 vile child sex abuse videos says he is ‘ashamed'
Some of the material which the 58 year old shared was in the most serious category of such material A Co Donegal man caught with more than 500 videos of child sexual abuse material has admitted that he knows now his is not a "victimless crime." Conor Boyle was caught with the vile material on which he shared on Facebook. Some of the material which the 58 year old shared was in the most serious category of such material. Boyle appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court where he pleaded guilty to charge of distributing child pornography, contrary to section 5 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998. Detective Garda Shane Maye of Ballyshannon Garda Station outlined the case before Judge John Aylmer. The court heard that Boyle pleaded guilty in December, 2020, but a difficulty with a solicitor, who is no longer in practice, deleted the case. Correspondence was received from the Garda National Protective Services Bureau in relation to activity on a Facebook account in Boyle's name in March 2017. An image and a video, depicting child pornography, and a second video of beastiality were transferred to another Facebook account in America, the court was told. Boyle's IP address was tracked down and detectives, armed with a search warrant, swooped on his home. The accused's laptop computer and a Samsung mobile phone were seized. Boyle told Gardai that he had two Facebook accounts, but gardai later became aware, in July 2017, that he operated a third Facebook account. An application was made to Facebook to preserve the accounts. He outlined to gardai that he set up different emails to the first two accounts. It was not until later that admissions were made in relation to the third account. In total, 515 videos and nine images were found on the Facebook accounts with 304 videos and four images distributed to others. A page in his own name had 216 videos and two images while 280 videos, including 11 depicting beastiality, and five images were found on the second account. A third Facebook account had 19 videos and two images. There were 410 videos and three images classified as being in category one - the most serious - with the remainder category two material. When gardai arrived at his home, Boyle, of St Benildus Avenue, Ballyshannon, admitted he was accessing child pornography and he gave officers PIN numbers and access codes to his devices. When interviewed, he also told gardai that he was communicating with others. Boyle told the court that he has undergone work with COSC - the national office for the prevention of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence - and has been engaged in that activity for over two years now. Mr Smyth asked Boyle if he now had insight into his behaviour and the defendant said: 'Yes, and I am truly sorry and ashamed of what I have done. I see now the effect that was done on the people.' Boyle said he realises now that this was not a victimless crime and said he realises the seriousness of his offending. He told the court that he is married, but he has no children. Mr Smyth told the court that his client has engaged in extensive therapeutic work and has 'shown remorse and shame'. Boyle had, said his barrister, given consent for the use of technology that was necessary to pursue the investigation. He said Boyle followed that up by pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity. 'It is a very serious matter, but he has gone a long way,' Mr Smyth said. 'He has indicated his remorse, he has full understanding of the grave consequences and he has turned the corner. A psychiatric report on Boyle placed him at a low risk of reoffending, in line with a report prepared by the Probation Service Noting that Boyle has no previous convictions, Mr Smyth asked Judge Aylmer to be 'as lenient as possible'. Judge Aylmer will sentence Boyle this week.
