Courts / Dublin / Report

No jail for man (63) who had child porn images and videos

Summary

Christopher Ward, aged 63, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of 102 images and 29 videos of child pornography that were stored on electronic devices in his family home on Cashel Road, Crumlin, Dublin. Gardaí seized two hard drives and five CDs during a search conducted under a warrant. The material depicted boys and girls aged between four and 14 years old being sexually abused by adult males, and showed girls with exposed genitals. Ward had no prior convictions and was living with his mother at the time of the offences, who is now deceased. The court considered mitigating factors such as Ward's guilty plea, cooperation, lack of previous convictions, ill health, low risk of re‑offending, and the antiquity of the offences. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a three‑year imprisonment sentence, fully suspended for three years on strict conditions, including one year of supervision by the Probation Service.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: No jail for man (63) who had child porn images and videos. Charges or matters: possession of 102 images and 29 videos of child pornography at his address on May 6, 2011. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• May 6, 2011 Incident
• 2019-11-14 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

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Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report