Keith Farrell gets suspended sentence for child sexual abuse images

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Keith Farrell, 50, of Le Fanu Road, Ballyfermot, received a two-year sentence suspended on strict conditions at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 5 March 2025.

Farrell pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material on dates in May and October 2021.

The court heard that 2,868 images were recovered from deleted files on a MacBook seized during a search of his home. Four images were classed as Category 1, the most serious type of material.

Judge Martin Nolan said higher court guidance called for a non-custodial option to be considered where aggravating factors were absent. Having considered the case and Farrell’s circumstances, he found that aggravating factors such as previous convictions or distribution of the material were not present.