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Pervert caught with hundreds of thousands of 'up skirt' images and extreme child abuse video has sentence cut
Summary
Paul Boyle, a 46‑year‑old Scottish man, was caught by an off‑duty Garda taking "up‑skirt" pictures on the Luas in December 2019. A Garda search of his Dublin home uncovered hundreds of thousands of similar images, including 20,000 of women and girls' legs, groins and buttocks, and an "extremely explicit" child‑abuse video. Boyle pleaded guilty to harassment and possession of child pornography. Judge Martin Nolan originally sentenced him to five years for harassment and three years for child‑pornography, with the final two and a half years of the latter suspended. On appeal, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy reduced the overall custodial term to five years and six months, suspending the last 16 months. The Court of Appeal found the original sentence excessive, noting no violence or threat of violence and no contact with victims. Boyle remains subject to post‑release supervision and a ban on contact with the victims.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Pervert caught with hundreds of thousands of 'up skirt' images and extreme child abuse video has sentence cut. Charges or matters: harassment at a location in Dublin city between November and December 2019. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- December 2019 Incident
- March 2022 Incident
- 28 January Incident
- July 2022 Incident
- March 2021 Other
- 2023-12-09 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: harassment at a location in Dublin city between November and December 2019 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The two sentences were to run consecutively but the final two years and six months were suspended, leaving Boyle with a custodial sentence of five years and six months. In July 2022, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Boyle to five years' imprisonment for the harassment.
Places mentioned
- Sandyford
- Sandyford View
- Dublin
- Dublin city
- Blackglen Road
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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