Steven McGinty retains suspended sentences for child pornography

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

Steven McGinty retained fully suspended concurrent sentences for possessing and distributing child pornography after the Court of Appeal refused the Director of Public Prosecutions’ application to review them for undue leniency on 30 January 2019. Mr Justice McCarthy delivered the court’s judgment.

The Circuit Court imposed sentences of 18 months for possession and two and a half years for distribution on 15 March 2018. Both were suspended in full for 18 months, with a condition that McGinty place himself under the supervision of the Probation and Welfare Service. His name was also entered in the Sex Offenders Register.

McGinty had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity. The appeal court held that suspending the sentences was at the very outer limit of the sentencing judge’s discretion, but remained within the permissible range.

The judgment recorded that McGinty provided passwords and co-operated with gardaí. The laptops were not examined until October 2015 because of a lack of Garda resources, and the prosecution began in April 2017.