Courts / Carlow / Report
Suspended sentence for youth worker caught with child porn
Summary
Des Kavanagh, 39, a former youth worker, was found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography after he pretended to be a 15‑year‑old boy in an online chat group. Gardaí, acting on Interpol information, seized his laptops and recovered 240 images and two short clips, all classified as child posing or sexual activity between children, with no material in the most serious categories. Kavanagh had no prior convictions and had cooperated fully with the police, admitting his actions and expressing remorse. The court, noting his long‑suppressed sexuality, low risk of re‑offending, and lack of profit motive, imposed a two‑year suspended sentence, requiring good behaviour and no probation service involvement. The judge highlighted that the offence was serious but deemed a custodial sentence unfair given the circumstances. The case ended with Kavanagh's guilty plea and the suspended sentence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for youth worker caught with child porn. Charges or matters: possession and distribution of child pornography at a former address in Tallaght, Dublin in May and June 2010. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2010 Incident
- 2017-03-31 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession and distribution of child pornography at a former address in Tallaght, Dublin in May and June 2010 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan said in this particular case it would be unfair to impose a custodial sentence due to Kavanagh's history, level of involvement, the categories of the images and the way he met the case. He imposed a two year sentence which he suspended on condition Kavanagh be of good behaviour.
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