Courts / Dublin / Report
No jail for man caught with over 4,000 sexually explicit images of children
Summary
Padraig Shortt, 42, of Templeogue, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of child pornography on 17 March 2016. He was found with 4,072 images and 200 videos, including 22 videos of sexual abuse and 178 images of exposed genitals. Shortt had no prior convictions. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced him to three years imprisonment, fully suspended, with strict conditions including compliance with Probation Service directions for two years. The judge noted his memory disturbance, isolated social life after a road‑traffic collision, and that he had begun psychotherapy. Shortt expressed genuine remorse and was described as psychologically vulnerable. Gardaí had seized computers, phones and hard drives during a search of his home, and Shortt admitted accessing the material but denied knowingly distributing it. The case was prosecuted by Fiona McGowan BL.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: No jail for man caught with over 4,000 sexually explicit images of children. Charges or matters: possession of child pornography at his address on March 17, 2016. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 17, 2016 Incident
- 2022-01-25 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of child pornography at his address on March 17, 2016 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Codd sentenced Shortt to three years imprisonment but suspended the sentence in its entirety on strict conditions including that he follow all directions of the Probation Service for two years.
Places mentioned
- Glendown Drive
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
Sexual Offences Stage Sentence
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