Man with child porn falsely claimed he was blackmailed
The defendant pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
A man found with child pornography gave an "inexplicable account" that he was the victim of blackmail.
Kevin Reilly, aged 48, of Curraghadooey, Scardaune, Claremorris previously pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to two charges of possessing child pornography.
State prosecutor Patrick Reynolds told the court that An Garda Síochána's Online Child Exploitation Unit (ONCE) received correspondence in June 2019 from Interpol in Manchester relating to the social media platform WhatsApp.
Interpol reported that Hampshire Police in the United Kingdom were investigating a person who was suspected of sexual offences against children, including the sexual exploitation of a 13-year-old child in the UK. Arising out of this inquiry, two Irish telephone numbers were identified as being involved in the case.
Det Gda Jonathan Ryan made an application to obtain the subscriber details of one of the numbers and it came back as the defendant, Kevin Reilly. It was not possible to identify the person connected to the second Irish number. A search warrant was obtained for Reilly’s home and 12 items of electronic hardware were seized, including five Samsung and Vodafone mobile phones, two camcorders, an Asus laptop, a Sony camera, two SD cards and a SIM card.
Gda Sean Ryan downloaded 1,164 indecent images and 177 videos from the devices. The court heard that 322 images and 124 videos were classified as containing 'category one' material, which is the most explicit type of child pornography, involving children aged under 17 engaged in sexual acts. One image related to an infant aged just two to three years. Another 842 images and 53 videos were 'category two' material, showing children exposing their genitalia.
When the case resumed last week, the court heard that Reilly was initially co-operative and denied that he was deriving gratification from the material. He had previously given an "inexplicable account" of being a victim of blackmail by an unknown person who had compromising pictures of him. There was no basis for the blackmail claims. The court was told he now seems to take responsibility for his actions. During an interview with the Probation Service, he candidly revealed he had taken photographs of schoolgirls in Galway and posted them online.
Desmond Dockery SC, representing Reilly, said his client had been a habitual user of child pornography for five years. He said the behaviour began when he was unemployed and a relationship ended. Mr Dockery said the accused felt disgusted by his actions but was unable to stop.
Judge Eoin Garavan said a prison sentence is warranted in this case, but he would not decide on sentencing until an up-to-date probation and psychological report is carried out.
“I need to know what we are dealing with. I need to see where he is at and what the risks are."
The matter was adjourned until October 29, 2024.
