72-year-old man gets fully suspended sentence for sexual message

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A 72-year-old man received a fully suspended prison sentence for sending a sexually explicit message to a minor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He pleaded guilty to the charge, which concerned an unknown date in 2018.

Judge Martin Nolan said the messages were depraved but considered the incident a once-off, the man's lack of previous convictions and his absence from further Garda attention. The defence acknowledged that the context was vile, while saying the girl did not seem threatened or intimidated.

The proceedings were reported on 17 January 2023.