Courts / Wicklow / Report
Man caught with 'depraved' video of him abusing child
Summary
Anthony Wills, 63, was arrested after Gardaí found a 10‑minute video of him molesting a young boy. The footage, recorded on a camcorder seized during a search of his home in Tallaght, shows Wills naked, fondling the child and briefly performing oral sex before masturbating in front of the boy. The search also uncovered 34 images of children exposing themselves and 21 images of sexual activity, plus graphic text messages. Wills pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a male child, two counts of knowingly producing child pornography, and possession of child pornography from 2004 to 2019. He had no prior convictions. The court, acknowledging his cooperation, remorse and lack of previous offences, sentenced him to a four‑year term, suspended 18 months, with strict conditions including probation engagement for 18 months after release. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the video production and the depraved nature of the acts.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man caught with 'depraved' video of him abusing child. Charges or matters: a charge of sexual assault of a male child, two charges of knowingly producing child pornography by means of a video and graphic text conversation and possession of child pornography on dates between June 2004 and October 19, 2019. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2004 Incident
- October 19, 2019 Incident
- 2021-04-27 Publication
Why: Counsel said his client is responsible for his "criminal actions" and acknowledges that but added that it arose because of "something that is within him". CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: a charge of sexual assault of a male child, two charges of knowingly producing child pornography by means of a video and graphic text conversation and possession of child pornography on dates between June 2004 and October 19, 2019 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan said that because of the production of the video, Wills "undoubtedly deserves a custodial sentence" before he added "it was a depraved act; it is difficult to know why he did it".
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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