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Garda to be sentenced for having child porn

Summary

Joseph O'Connor, a 58‑year‑old former Garda from west Dublin, was convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of four counts of possession of child pornography. The evidence came from a laptop seized in August 2011 during an investigation of an alleged assault. The laptop's recycle bin contained videos of boys under ten and under 17 being sexually abused, and 16 images of children in sexual situations. A jury acquitted him of a fifth count involving 56 duplicate images. O'Connor, who had served 25 years as a Garda before his 2012 suspension, denied knowing the material and claimed it was corrupted by a visitor. The case was delayed by an unrelated assault investigation. He has been added to the register of sex offenders, and sentencing was adjourned to 15 February to allow a psychologist's report to be considered. The maximum penalty is a €5,000 fine or five years' imprisonment. Joseph O'Connor pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Garda to be sentenced for having child porn. Charges or matters: five counts of possession of child pornography at his home on dates between July 30 and August 2, 2011. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 30 Incident
• August 2, 2011 Incident
• August 2011 Incident
• 15 February Adjournment
• 2019-01-14 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report