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Garda is jailed 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 possessing child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to five counts of possession of images and videos of children in sexual acts. Evidence seized from his home in August 2011 included a laptop with videos in the recycle bin depicting boys under ten and under 17 in sexual acts, and 16 different images of children exposed or involved in sexual acts. A jury convicted him of four counts and acquitted him of one count involving duplicate images. Judge Elma Sheahan sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, citing the severity of the material and his Garda position. The maximum custodial sentence for the offences is five years. O'Connor's conviction was upheld despite his denial of responsibility and claims of bad faith prosecution. The case highlighted the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission's involvement in a related assault complaint.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Garda is jailed 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
- 2019-02-15 Publication
Why: Against that, she said, a term of imprisonment will bring an additional hardship because of this position. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: five counts of possession of child pornography at his home on dates between July 30 and August 2, 2011 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Judge Sheahan set a headline sentence of three and a half years which she reduced to two years after taking into consideration O'Connor's position as a garda and the support of his family.
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