Michael Kearns jailed for six months over child sexual abuse imagery

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

Michael Kearns, 58, pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse imagery at his home between April 2017 and April 2019. The court heard gardaí found 207 images and 164 movie files when they searched his home in April 2019, following a tip-off from an international organisation. The material involved girls and boys aged five to 15 being sexually abused and exposed.

Judge Pauline Codd said the case was in the upper category of seriousness and involved a significant level of depravity. She set a headline sentence of four years, then took account of Kearns’s guilty plea, cooperation with gardaí and other mitigating factors. She imposed a two-year sentence and suspended the final 18 months on conditions. Kearns was jailed for six months.