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Court refuses to reduce sentence for brothel keeper caught with child abuse material
Summary
A Brazilian brothel-keeper, Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro, has had his appeal to reduce his prison sentence dismissed by the court. Ribeiro, who operated a brothel network across rural Ireland and laundered €800,000, was arrested at Dublin Airport in 2023 with child abuse material on his phone. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including brothel-keeping, money laundering, and possession of child pornography. The child abuse material, which included images and videos of pre-pubescent children, was described as the most serious category. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a 10-and-a-half-year sentence in 2025, which included consecutive terms. Ribeiro's lawyers argued that the court should have suspended the sentence for the child abuse material due to his lack of prior convictions. However, Mr Justice Paul Burns ruled that the child pornography charge was of a different nature and required a separate sentence. He stated that the court could not ignore the severity of the offence. The investigation into Ribeiro began after two women came forward with trafficking allegations, leading to the identification of multiple properties used as brothels across Ireland.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Court refuses to reduce sentence for brothel keeper caught with child abuse material. Charges or matters: 19 sample counts, including using false instruments, inducing landlords to rent properties to him, brothel-keeping and possession of the proceeds of crime; the possession of child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography, on his phone when he was arrested at Dublin Airport on November 16, 2023. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 16, 2023 Incident
- March 2025 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2010 to 2023 Incident
- 2018 and 2023 Other
- 2026-07-06 Publication
Why: His lawyers argued that the court should have considered suspending the sentence of three year and six months imposed for the possession of child abuse material because he had no previous convictions for similar offences. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: 19 sample counts, including using false instruments, inducing landlords to rent properties to him, brothel-keeping and possession of the proceeds of crime; the possession of child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography, on his phone when he was arrested at Dublin Airport on November 16, 2023 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: In March 2025, Judge Patricia Ryan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court imposed a global sentence of 10 and a half years in prison, which involved consecutive terms, with 18 months suspended. She said the consecutive sentence imposed was "entirely within the discretion of the judge".
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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