2019-06-27 · Dublin
IT worker caught with child porn after being spotted filming at "family fun day"
An IT worker, Declan Costello, 40, was arrested after organisers of a family fun day reported him filming people suspiciously. Gardaí found non‑pornographic images on his phone and later discovered 176 images and three videos of child sexual abuse in his home. The material included children as young as three or four being abused and a child performing oral sex while a knife was held to their forehead. Costello pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography for a period between January 2013 and August 2014. He had no prior convictions and did not produce or share the material. Judge Martin Nolan, after reviewing forensic reports and noting Costello's cooperation, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence suspended on conditions including two years' probation. The court highlighted that the offence was not a victimless crime and that the material was produced without aggravating circumstances. The sentence was therefore non‑custodial.