Courts / Dublin / Report
Man caught with almost 1.5m child abuse images and videos is jailed
Summary
A man who was caught with almost 1.5 million images and videos of child sexual abuse after he began accessing such material as a 13-year-old boy has been jailed for 27 months. Stephen Byrne (26) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the images, termed child pornography in law, at his rented home in Terenure, Dublin 6, on March 2, 2022. Detective Garda Mairead McKinney confirmed that 1,440,675 images and videos were found, depicting children in sexually explicit interactions. Byrne admitted accessing such material from the age of 13 through the Dark Web and social media. His defence highlighted his cooperation with gardaí and his attendance at counselling. Judge Martin Nolan noted the significant aggravating factor of the number of images and the length of time Byrne had been offending. He imposed a sentence of 27 months, taking into account Byrne's co-operation and his admissions of guilt, despite acknowledging the severity of the offence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man caught with almost 1.5m child abuse images and videos is jailed. Charges or matters: possession of the images, termed child pornography in law, at his then rented home on Harolds Cross Road, Terenure, Dublin 6, on March 2, 2022. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 2, 2022 Incident
- August 16, 2024 Other
- 2025-11-26 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of the images, termed child pornography in law, at his then rented home on Harolds Cross Road, Terenure, Dublin 6, on March 2, 2022 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The judge imposed a sentence of 27 months, having taken into account the various mitigating features in the case including Byrne's co-operation with the investigation and his admissions of guilt.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Harolds Cross Road
- by appointment in Tallaght Garda Station
- Tallaght
Topics
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