Courts / Dublin / Report

Father made toddler son watch online sexual activity

Date
2025-03-19
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

A 27‑year‑old Dublin man was jailed for three years after he pleaded guilty to masturbating in the presence of his three‑year‑old son and showing the child a video of a woman engaging in sexual activity. The incident, which took place in June 2022, was captured on a social media platform and later identified by British police, who alerted Irish Gardaí. The video, about 17 minutes long, shows the man first masturbating in his bedroom, then bringing his son into the room, showing him the video, and later masturbating again in front of the child while guiding the child's hand to touch his penis. The judge, citing the parent‑child duty of care, imposed a headline sentence of six years, reduced to three years due to mitigating circumstances. The man had previously been arrested in October 2023, admitted guilt, and expressed remorse, claiming intoxication and mental health issues at the time.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Father made toddler son watch online sexual activity. Charges or matters: masturbating in the presence of a child, knowing or being reckless as to whether the child was aware, and inducing a child to look at a picture of sexual activity in June 2022. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Why: Gardaí then contacted the man's partner at the time in order to identify the interior of the home that could be clearly seen on the footage and found it matched that on the video. CNI source report

Case subjects

Unnamed 27-year-old

Defendant

Charges: masturbating in the presence of a child, knowing or being reckless as to whether the child was aware, and inducing a child to look at a picture of sexual activity in June 2022 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: A father who made his three-year-old son watch a woman online engaging in sexual activity has been jailed for three years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge set a headline global sentence of six years, which he reduced to three years taking into account the mitigation and the man's personal circumstances.; Having heard facts yesterday, Judge Martin Nolan adjourned the case overnight to consider sentence.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Sentence

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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