Shane Corrigan jailed for child sexual exploitation offence

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

Shane Corrigan, 53, of Newton Court, Belcamp Lane, Coolock, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 7 February 2024 to three years in prison, with the final 20 months suspended on strict conditions. Judge Martin Nolan said he did not think Corrigan was a danger to society.

Corrigan pleaded guilty to using information technology to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child over four days around Christmas 2018. The proceedings were reported on 7 February 2024.

An investigating garda told prosecuting counsel that Corrigan had communicated with a fictional 13-year-old decoy created by the Child Online Safety Team. The group contacted gardaí about conversations with the decoy, known as Melissa, between 24 and 28 December 2018.

The report said Corrigan proposed meeting Melissa at a hotel and asked her to bring friends and her six-year-old cousin. When asked whether he wanted to have sex with the six-year-old, he said yes.

Gardaí obtained a search warrant for his home on 29 December 2018. Analysis of electronic media found no evidence of child pornography. After his arrest on 2 September 2022, Corrigan identified his profile as having been in contact with Melissa, agreed the conversation was inappropriate and sexual, expressed regret and apologised.

Defence counsel James Dwyer SC said Corrigan had a mild intellectual disability, was a vulnerable adult and had lower culpability than a more devious, manipulative adult. He questioned Corrigan’s capacity to follow through. Judge Nolan cited the early guilty plea, admissions, cooperation, work history and absence of convictions in mitigation, but said he believed Corrigan knew his conduct was wrong.