Father-of-two who called his actions ‘idiotic’ given suspended sentence for child abuse material
The Wicklow PeopleA father-of-two, who has admitted possessing child abuse material, has received an 18-month suspended sentence, after a judge noted his personal circumstances, including high anxiety and separation from his family home.
Keith Coburn (42), with an address at Effenogue, Ferns, Co. Wexford, and formerly of Wicklow, appeared at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child abuse material.
A member of An Garda Síochána’s Divisional Protective Services Unit (DPSU) in Wicklow town, Liz Collins, testified that on September 29, 2022, gardaí were alerted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that a Kik account linked to a user named ‘Returninggent2021’ was in possession of sexually exploitative material involving children. The material consisted of six Category 1 images, one Category 2 image and one Category 1 video.
Kik is a mobile messaging platform that enables users to communicate through text, images, videos, and other media without requiring a phone number.
The court heard that the account was linked to an IP address at Mr Coburn’s home.
A search warrant was executed, but the phone used to access the material was not located, namely a Samsung phone. Mr Coburn told gardaí that he had recently changed devices.
James Kelly SC, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Coburn was arrested in July 2024 and made full admissions to the possession of the material. He was charged in April 2025 and entered an early guilty plea.
The court heard that Mr Coburn is the father of three-year-old twin girls. He and his wife, whom he has been married to for a several years, struggled to conceive and ultimately used IVF.
Niamh Foley BL, counsel for the defence and instructed by Dermot Hickey Solicitors, said her client was extremely remorseful and had described his actions as “idiotic”. Ms Foley told the court that Mr Coburn is now seeking medical help and attending therapy.
The court was told that Mr Coburn has been active with the GAA in Wicklow for many years.
The court was also informed that Mr Coburn left his job as a development officer at County Wicklow Partnership due to the stress of the case. He is now unemployed, and he and his wife are under financial pressure.
Judge Patrick Quinn sentenced Mr Coburn to 18 months imprisonment but noted that, due to Mr Coburn now living outside the family home, his high anxiety and “poor sleep”, he would suspend the sentence in its entirety for a period of 18 months.