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Garda told investigators "somebody else" must have downloaded child sex images
Summary
Joseph O'Connor, 58, pleaded not guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Gardaí seized a Dell laptop from his west Dublin home during an August 2011 search. The laptop contained 12 videos depicting boys under ten and between ten and seventeen in explicit sexual acts, including with a male adult. O'Connor denied downloading or viewing the material, claiming it was uploaded by someone else and that his laptop was unsecured and used by visitors. He alleged a man who had visited his home the night before the seizure had corrupted the computer. O'Connor also recounted a separate incident involving a man who stole his Garda ID and €20, which led to a confrontation and a subsequent complaint to the Garda Ombudsman. The court heard that an Inspector Fox investigation found no evidence of rape or sexual assault, attributing alleged injuries to consensual acts. The case remains at the trial stage.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Garda told investigators "somebody else" must have downloaded child sex images. Charges or matters: five counts of possession of child pornography at his home in west Dublin on dates between July 30 and August 2 in 2011. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 30 Incident
- August 2 Incident
- June 21, 2012 Incident
- August 2011 Incident
- Thursday July 28 Incident
- 2018-11-05 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: five counts of possession of child pornography at his home in west Dublin on dates between July 30 and August 2 in 2011 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Places mentioned
Topics
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