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'Sad' and isolated security guard accessed thousands of child abuse images
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Owen Shannon, 53, was found to have possessed 3,437 images and 56 videos of child sexual abuse, depicting children as young as three. The material, seized from two laptops, a computer and a hard drive, was largely Category 1, indicating severe distress. Shannon, a former security guard who had spent most of his life caring for his ill mother and later his father, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography on 23 June 2016. He admitted to gardaí that the material showed girls as young as five being abused by adult men. The court noted his solitary, isolated life and his remorse, and Judge Melanie Greally ordered a Probation Services report and adjourned the case to 2 March for finalisation.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Sad' and isolated security guard accessed thousands of child abuse images. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- June 23, 2016 Incident
- March 2 Adjournment
- 2020-12-15 Publication
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Carrickhill Road
- Portmarnock
- Dublin
Topics
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