Brian Fitzgerald struck off over child pornography offences

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

Brian Fitzgerald was struck off the teaching register after a High Court decision reported on 31 March 2020, following child pornography offences. He had pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possessing and distributing child pornography, and received a three-year sentence with the final 18 months suspended. The offences involved files shared and possessed in 2017, according to the report.

The High Court confirmed the Teaching Council’s decision to remove Fitzgerald from the register and said the sanction was appropriate. He was also barred from applying for restoration to the register for 15 years. The report said Fitzgerald had not contested or appealed the disciplinary finding or sanction.