Ronan Keogan’s medical registration cancelled by High Court

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

The High Court confirmed the Medical Council’s decision to cancel former GP Ronan Keogan’s medical registration on 19 February 2024. Mr Justice David Barniville said the decision was reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances.

Keogan had pleaded guilty before the Circuit Criminal Court to knowingly distributing child pornography at an unknown location within the State on 26 March 2017. He also pleaded guilty to possessing three child pornography images at an address in Templeogue, Dublin, on 15 May 2017.

On 3 May 2023, Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a one-year prison sentence, suspended for one year with a bond for good behaviour. Keogan was also placed on the sex offenders register. The proceedings were reported on 3 May 2023.

The charges related to a text conversation with a woman and three photographs of two underage girls. The court heard that Keogan sent the woman photographs of a girl he said was 15, one of which constituted child pornography. During garda interviews, he said he would never knowingly engage in sexual activity with someone unable to give lawful consent or knowingly possess photographs of girls under the age of consent.

Defence counsel Lorcan Staines said Keogan’s behaviour had cost him everything, and that he had been suffering stress and engaging in risky sexualised behaviour as escapism. Judge Ryan said the three images were at the lower end of the scale and that there was nothing in the prosecution case to suggest he had abused his position as a GP.

Ronan Kennedy SC, for the Medical Council, told the High Court that the council had considered public safety and the integrity of the regulatory process. He said it had also noted that Keogan had shown very little insight, remorse or understanding of the wrongdoing.