Courts / Dublin / Report

No jail for man who accessed child abuse material while at 'loose end'

Summary

Richard Cox, 40, of Tallaght, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on 26 October 2020. Gardaí, acting on confidential information, searched his home on that date and seized a mobile phone, two Xboxes and a USB stick. The phone contained 269 images and 39 videos of child abuse; 53 images and 39 videos were category one, showing children in or witnessing sexual activity. A production order from Google Ireland recovered an additional 110 images and 37 videos that had been automatically uploaded to the cloud. Cox admitted to accessing the material while at home during a Covid‑19 lockdown, when he was not working and was taking drugs and drinking. He had no prior convictions and cooperated with Gardaí. The court, noting the early guilty plea and his cooperation, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, fully suspended on strict conditions, and referred him for therapy to address underlying addiction issues.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: No jail for man who accessed child abuse material while at 'loose end'. Charges or matters: one count of possession of child pornography on October 26, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 26, 2020 Incident
• October 26 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2024-01-12 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report