Courts / Dublin / Report

Convicted sex offender caught in child exploitation sting is jailed

Summary

Paul Lynch, 56, was jailed after a sting operation revealed he had tried to meet an 11‑year‑old girl but was confronted by an adult decoy livestreaming to Facebook. Lynch had sent a picture of his genitals to the decoy and had asked for a naked photo, which the decoy refused, claiming her camera was broken. He had also offered to give her a phone. The court heard Lynch had previously pleaded guilty to attempted meeting of a child for sexual exploitation in 2018, had a 2019 conviction in Northern Ireland for sexual communication with a child, and a 2023 breach of a sex offences prevention order. He also had seven older convictions for theft and fraud. Judge Orla Crowe described the offence as the "most serious kind" and, after taking mitigation into account, imposed a sentence of two years and three months, back‑dated to his first custody in February.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Convicted sex offender caught in child exploitation sting is jailed. Charges or matters: attempted meeting of a child for the purposes of sexual exploitation in March 2018. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• March 2018 Other
• 2024-05-15 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report