Courts / Dublin / Report

Former teacher had hundreds of images of "most serious" child porn

Date
2017-11-03

Stage
Sentence

Court
In Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

John O'Donoghue, a 58‑year‑old former teacher and table tennis coach, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on March 27, 2012, at his former home in Weaver's Hall, Stepaside, Dublin 18. Gardaí searched the premises in 2008, retrieving 2,500 images and 13 movie files across a computer, laptop, memory stick and two external hard drives. Of the images, 496 were Category 1 (explicit sexual activity) and 2,048 were Category 2 (genital exposure). Two of the movie files contained explicit sexual activity, while 11 showed genital exposure. O'Donoghue had four prior convictions for indecent assault of a young boy in 2013, for which he received a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence with the final 18 months suspended. He has since pleaded guilty, served a sentence, completed a Safer Lives programme, and undergone individual and group therapy. The court will sentence him on November 10, 2017, and he will remain on the list of child sex offenders indefinitely.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Former teacher had hundreds of images of "most serious" child porn. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

March 27, 2012 Incident
December 2016 Incident
Friday, November 10 Adjournment
2017-11-03 Publication

Why: "The man being sentenced today is not the man arrested in 2012, because he has since pleaded guilty, served a sentence and completed a Safer Lives programme on his release from prison. CNI source report

Case subjects

John O'Donoghue

Convicted Person

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Credit: Collins) A 58-year-old former teacher and table tennis coach is to be sentenced next week for possession of child pornography five and a half years ago. The fact that children may have been hurt in making these, I am seriously upset about that." Mary Rose Gearty SC, defending, said that through nobody's fault, there had been a systemic delay in bringing this case to court, but that in the interim, O'Donoghue had taken significant steps to rehabilitate himself. "The man being sentenced today is not the man arrested in 2012, because he has since pleaded guilty, served a sentence and completed a Safer Lives programme on his release from prison.; She adjourned the case for sentencing next Friday, November 10.

Safer Lives

Applicant

Outcome: She adjourned the case for sentencing next Friday, November 10.