Courts / Dublin / Report

Google monitoring system alerted authorities to online child abuse material

Date
2026-02-19
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

A man has been given a suspended sentence after an automatic monitoring system alerted Google to the presence of 15 files of child abuse material in his cloud storage. Austin Odibei pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material in April 2019. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced him to 18 months, suspended for three years. The investigating garda outlined that Google notified the relevant authority in America in March 2019 about the suspected presence of CSAM on an individual's Google account. Gardai were notified and a Google account and mobile number were linked to the defendant. His home was searched in April 2019, and several devices, including a phone and a camera, were seized. Garda analysis of the devices recovered 13 files of CSAM, including eleven videos and two images, which were found on the memory card in the camera. Two further videos were found on the phone. The court heard that the victims were not identifiable.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Google monitoring system alerted authorities to online child abuse material. Charges or matters: possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), known in law as child pornography, in April 2019. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

Austin Odibei

Convicted Person

Charges: possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), known in law as child pornography, in April 2019 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Orla Crowe sentenced Odibei to 18 months, suspended in full for three years. She imposed a custodial sentence for 18 months which she suspended for three years on condition that Odibei keep the peace and be of good behaviour for three years.

Places mentioned

Residence
Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

Topics

Stage Sentence

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