Steven McGinty keeps suspended child pornography sentences

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

Steven McGinty’s suspended sentences for possession and distribution of child pornography were left in place when the Court of Appeal refused the Director of Public Prosecutions’ review application on 30 January 2019.

McGinty had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity.

On 15 March 2018, the Circuit Court imposed 18 months’ imprisonment for possession and two and a half years for distribution. The sentences were concurrent and suspended in full for 18 months, subject to conditions that included his supervision by the Probation and Welfare Service. His name was entered in the Sex Offenders Register.

The Director argued that the sentence was unduly lenient and did not adequately reflect the need for general deterrence. Delivering the Court of Appeal’s judgment, Mr Justice McCarthy said the decision to suspend the sentences was at the very outer limit of the sentencing judge’s discretion, but the court was not persuaded that it fell outside the available range.