Courts / Dublin / Report
Man who groped girl (11) in Penneys avoids jail for having child abuse material
Summary
Stephen Gregan, 42, was found in possession of 64 images and 57 movies of child sexual abuse material when Gardaí searched his Rathmines home in June 2017, following a complaint that he had sexually assaulted an 11‑year‑old girl in a Penneys shop. He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and received a nine‑month suspended sentence in October 2019 for the sexual assault. In March 2023 Judge Melanie Greally imposed an 18‑month prison sentence for the child‑abuse‑material charge, but suspended it for two years on strict conditions, including probation supervision. The judge cited the time elapsed since the offence, Gregan's rehabilitation efforts, lack of further Garda attention, and the absence of distribution of the material as mitigating factors. The sentence was fully suspended, so no custodial time is to be served.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man who groped girl (11) in Penneys avoids jail for having child abuse material. Charges or matters: possession of child pornography at his Dublin home on June 13, 2017; sexual assault at Penneys, Dundrum Town Centre, on June 10, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2017 Incident
- June 13, 2017 Incident
- October 2019 Incident
- June 10, 2017 Incident
- 2023-03-27 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of child pornography at his Dublin home on June 13, 2017; sexual assault at Penneys, Dundrum Town Centre, on June 10, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The court heard that in October 2019 Gregan received a nine-month suspended sentence from Judge Martin Nolan after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Penneys, Dundrum Town Centre, on June 10, 2017. She handed Gregan an 18-month prison sentence, which she suspended for two years on strict conditions, including that he place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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