Courts / Dublin / Report
Jail for man who sent explicit images of himself to German boy (12)
Summary
Gavin Begley, 23, of Ballybough Road, Dublin 3, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to communication with a child using Instagram to facilitate sexual exploitation on November 27, 2019, and possession of child pornography on September 7, 2020. The court heard that Begley befriended a 12-year-old German boy, whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, through an online game. Begley requested explicit images from the child, who reported the incident to German police. A subsequent search of Begley's home recovered 57 videos and 362 images of child abuse material, most of which were classified as category one. Judge Dara Hayes noted Begley's lack of prior convictions, mental health issues, and remorse, but described the conduct as an insidious offence targeting a child. Begley was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended for two years on strict conditions, including no unsupervised access to children. He has been registered as a sex offender.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for man who sent explicit images of himself to German boy (12). Charges or matters: communication with a child using Instagram from the purposes of facilitating sexual exploitation of a child on November 27, 2019. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 27, 2019 Incident
- September 7, 2020 Incident
- September 6, 2020 Incident
- November 2019 Other
- 2023-03-28 Publication
Why: "It is an insidious offence because children are targeted for child exploitation," the judge said. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: communication with a child using Instagram from the purposes of facilitating sexual exploitation of a child on November 27, 2019 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Begley was sentenced to four and half years with the final 12 months suspended for two years on strict conditions, including that he has no unsupervised access to children.
Places mentioned
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