Courts / Tipperary / Report
Social worker who defiled boy in State care loses her conviction appeal
Summary
A 44‑year‑old social worker who brought a 16‑year‑old boy in State care to her home and sexually defiled him was convicted and jailed for four years, with the final two years suspended, by a jury after an 11‑day trial. She appealed, arguing that Facebook messages exchanged with the boy should not have been admitted because the State's request for the messages was made under the wrong section of a 2008 treaty on mutual legal assistance between Ireland and the United States. The appeal was dismissed by Justice Tara Burns, who held that the treaty required the transmission of the request by the Department of Justice, not the drafting, and that the material, though extending beyond the original timeframe, was still admissible. The conviction remains in force, and the social worker will serve the remaining two years of her sentence. The unnamed 44-year-old pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Social worker who defiled boy in State care loses her conviction appeal. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted
When:
- November 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 1 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 15, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 18, 2016 Other
- May 31, 2016 Other
- 2024-01-18 Publication
Why: The 44-year-old woman, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of her victim, appealed the conviction after arguing that the State's request to the social media giant for the messages was made under the wrong section of a 2008 treaty on mutual legal assistance between Ireland and the United States. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; She was jailed for four years with the final two years suspended by Judge Cormac Quinn sitting at Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court in November 2022.
Places mentioned
- Clonmel
- Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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