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Man jailed for possession, production and distribution of child abuse material
Summary
Dean Madden, 32, of Balcurris Road, Ballymun, Dublin 11, was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty in Dublin District Court to possession, production and distribution of child pornography. The charges stemmed from a March 2024 raid on his home, where 3,832 images and 162 videos were seized. Garda Paul Higgins identified Madden through his email and username on a particular app. Of the material, 1,601 images and 151 videos were classified as the most serious category, depicting sexual activity involving children as young as two years old with other children or adults; 1,818 images were classified as child exposure images, while the remainder were animated or computer‑generated. Madden also admitted simple possession of drugs, with a small amount of cannabis seized. He had no prior convictions and had not attracted Garda attention before the arrest.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man jailed for possession, production and distribution of child abuse material. Charges or matters: charges of possession of what as known in law as child pornography, production of child pornography and distribution of the material on dates in March 2024. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 2024 Incident
- March 15, 2024 Incident
- 2025-10-22 Publication
Why: Gda Higgins agreed with Philipp Rahn SC, defending, that his client indicated he was relieved when gardaí arrived at his home because he had "gone to a very dark place". Defence account reported by CNI
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: charges of possession of what as known in law as child pornography, production of child pornography and distribution of the material on dates in March 2024 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He accepted that Madden had "his own problems at the time" before he jailed him for 16 months.
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