Latest news with #ChildTraffickingandPornographyAct1998
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Sunday World
Face of taxi driver caught with child sex abuse video as he's jailed
Keith Reilly (57), a taxi driver and married father of two from Upper Grattan Park, Kindlestown Lower, Greystones, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty A Wicklow man who has been jailed for 10 months for possession of a video containing child sex abuse material appeared to have carried out the offence in the hope he would be 'rumbled', a court has heard. Keith Reilly (57), a taxi driver and married father of two from Upper Grattan Park, Kindlestown Lower, Greystones, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty to possession of the offending material contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. A sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday heard that gardai were alerted to the existence of a video in a Dropbox account in Reilly's name by the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Keith Reilly News in 90 Seconds - July 24th Detective Garda Dara McEvoy gave evidence of seizing a mobile phone during a search of the defendant's home on July 2, 2021. Det Garda McEvoy said no child pornographic imagery was detected on the device but gardaí were 'extremely concerned' about the content and tone of a conversation between Reilly and another individual about young children in an exchange on WhatsApp. He told counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL, that files in a Dropbox account belonging to the defendant could not be opened but two videos containing 'Category 1' child sex abuse material were subsequently found in it with the assistance of authorities in the US. Evidence was heard that one video contained a recording of children engaged in sexual activity while the other depicted a naked boy masturbating. Det Garda McEvoy agreed with Mr Kelly that the WhatsApp conversation in itself constituted an offence under the legislation but the court heard that no prosecution had been entered in relation to it. The court heard that Reilly had no other previous convictions apart from some road traffic offences from 20 years ago. Cross-examined by defence counsel, Barry White SC, Det Garda McEvoy said he was aware that the accused had complained to gardaí in the past about being sexually abused as a child. Det Garda McEvoy said he understood that a file on the complaint had been forwarded to the DPP who had directed that there should be no prosecution. Mr White observed that the defendant felt a proper Garda investigation had never occurred into the matter. The barrister said Reilly's offence seemed to be 'an endeavour to bring the matter into the open.' Judge John Martin acknowledged that the offence related to a small amount of material when some similar cases involved hundreds of videos. He also accepted that Reilly had cooperated with gardaí and entered an early guilty plea, while there was no evidence he had engaged in the offending behaviour over any prolonged period. However, Judge Martin said he was somewhat concerned that Reilly was the father of two teenage girls given the nature of the offence who had also shown no empathy or remorse. The judge said he disagreed with the view of both the defendant and his wife, that it was a victimless crime. 'Young people were exploited for the sexual pleasure of others,' the judge remarked. 'Innocent children were exploited by someone making money out of them.' Judge Martin said Reilly's claim that he was not motivated by any sexual desire but was calculated to bring himself 'into the spotlight' was 'a difficult pill to swallow.' The judge said it seemed like the defendant hoped he would be 'rumbled' which he found difficult to rationalise. He observed that Reilly had a difficult childhood which no child should have to endure 'no more than the children in the video you were watching.' The judge said he had been assessed at a low risk of offending although a psychologist believed such an assessment was likely to underestimate the risk due to the defendant's 'limited disclosure.' Sentencing Reilly to 14 months in prison, Judge Martin suspended the final four months on condition that he places himself under the supervision of the Probation Service and complies with any directions given to him for a period of 12 months after his release from prison. Another charge relating to possession of the other video was taken into consideration.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taxi driver jailed over possession of video containing child sex abuse material
A Wicklow man who has been jailed for 10 months for possession of a video containing child sex abuse material appeared to have carried out the offence in the hope he would be "rumbled", a court has heard. Keith Reilly (57), a taxi driver and married father of two from Upper Grattan Park, Kindlestown Lower, Greystones, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty to possession of the offending material contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. A sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday heard that gardai were alerted to the existence of a video in a Dropbox account in Reilly's name by the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Detective Garda Dara McEvoy gave evidence of seizing a mobile phone during a search of the defendant's home on July 2, 2021. Det Garda McEvoy said no child pornographic imagery was detected on the device but gardaí were "extremely concerned" about the content and tone of a conversation between Reilly and another individual about young children in an exchange on WhatsApp. He told counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL, that files in a Dropbox account belonging to the defendant could not be opened but two videos containing 'Category 1' child sex abuse material were subsequently found in it with the assistance of authorities in the US. Evidence was heard that one video contained a recording of children engaged in sexual activity while the other depicted a naked boy masturbating. Det Garda McEvoy agreed with Mr Kelly that the WhatsApp conversation in itself constituted an offence under the legislation but the court heard that no prosecution had been entered in relation to it. The court heard that Reilly had no other previous convictions apart from some road traffic offences from 20 years ago. Cross-examined by defence counsel, Barry White SC, Det Garda McEvoy said he was aware that the accused had complained to gardaí in the past about being sexually abused as a child. Det Garda McEvoy said he understood that a file on the complaint had been forwarded to the DPP who had directed that there should be no prosecution. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Mr White observed that the defendant felt a proper Garda investigation had never occurred into the matter. The barrister said Reilly's offence seemed to be "an endeavour to bring the matter into the open." Judge John Martin acknowledged that the offence related to a small amount of material when some similar cases involved hundreds of videos. He also accepted that Reilly had cooperated with gardaí and entered an early guilty plea, while there was no evidence he had engaged in the offending behaviour over any prolonged period. However, Judge Martin said he was somewhat concerned that Reilly was the father of two teenage girls given the nature of the offence who had also shown no empathy or remorse. The judge said he disagreed with the view of both the defendant and his wife, that it was a victimless crime. "Young people were exploited for the sexual pleasure of others," the judge remarked. "Innocent children were exploited by someone making money out of them." Judge Martin said Reilly's claim that he was not motivated by any sexual desire but was calculated to bring himself "into the spotlight" was "a difficult pill to swallow." The judge said it seemed like the defendant hoped he would be "rumbled" which he found difficult to rationalise. He observed that Reilly had a difficult childhood which no child should have to endure "no more than the children in the video you were watching." The judge said he had been assessed at a low risk of offending although a psychologist believed such an assessment was likely to underestimate the risk due to the defendant's "limited disclosure." Sentencing Reilly to 14 months in prison, Judge Martin suspended the final four months on condition that he places himself under the supervision of the Probation Service and complies with any directions given to him for a period of 12 months after his release from prison. Another charge relating to possession of the other video was taken into consideration. Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Irish Independent
Wicklow taxi driver found with child sex abuse video seemed to want to get ‘rumbled', court hears
Bray People A Wicklow man who has been jailed for 10 months for possession of a video containing child sex abuse material appeared to have carried out the offence in the hope he would be 'rumbled', a court has heard. Keith Reilly (57), a taxi driver and married father-of-two from Upper Grattan Park, Kindlestown Lower, Greystones, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty to possession of the offending material contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.
Irish Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Education Board member walks free despite being caught with child abuse material
A manager with Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board has been given a one-month suspended prison sentence for the possession of child abuse material. Bernard Morley (49) a married father of two of Coolnakilly, Glenealy, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty at sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court to possession of one video and three images of material contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 on dates between January 22, 2022 and April 23, 2022. Judge Terence O'Sullivan said the scale of the offending was 'as low as you can get' for such an offence and was 'radically different' from many other cases of possession of child pornography which come before the courts. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Detective Sergeant David Smith told the court that gardaí became aware that the offending material was available on an account with Kik – a mobile messaging application. Det Garda Smith said the accused handed over his mobile phone and answered questions about the suspect account when gardaí called to his home on September 8, 2022. The court heard one video depicting a 13-year-old girl having sex with an adult male and three nude images of children were contained in a Kik account to which Morley had access as a group member. However, Det Garda Smith told counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL, that there was no illegal material on any device in Morley's possession and there was no evidence that he had ever distributed such content. Cross-examined by defence counsel, Ronan Kennedy SC, Det Garda Smith said the defendant had admitted he was having 'a rough time' at the time of the offence and was 'looking at some stuff' on Kik. He confirmed that the last time Morley had accessed Kik was in April 2022. Mr Kennedy said it was a 'fairly unique' case of its type as the offending material was not stored on an actual physical device but in a Kik account. The barrister said his client had been diagnosed with a number of health problems and had been suspended from his job with Kildare and Wicklow ETB as a result of publicity about the case. Mr Kennedy said Morley had previously been regarded as a model citizen who had no previous convictions. He said it was an unfortunate case of a man who was doing very well who began drinking at home during the Covid-19 pandemic at a time which coincided with the death of his father and brother. Mr Kennedy said the accused also started playing interactive games online during the pandemic which led him to using Kik. The court heard he joined a group which shared pornographic images, which were not illegal, but which led to him finding himself in possession of the offending material. Mr Kennedy said Morley was deeply remorseful and ashamed about his offending and had suffered a significant fall from grace which had impacted on his career. However, he said the education official enjoyed the support of his family and members of his local community which was evidenced by a number of character references submitted to the court. Sentencing Morley to one month in prison, Judge O'Sullivan said it was unfortunate for the accused that someone had put material into the Kik group of which he was a member which was illegal. The judge noted that the accused could have argued that he was not in possession of the material, although he did believe such a defence was unlikely to have been successful. He acknowledged that Morley came into possession of the video and images at a difficult personal time and was paying a price for his actions. Suspending the sentence in full, Judge O'Sullivan said it was 'quite plainly just a mistake' by the accused and he believed it was unlikely he would come to the attention of gardaí again.
Irish Examiner
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Legislation to update child sex abuse material terminology should be a 'no-brainer', says senator
Legislation to change terminology around the portrayal of child sex abuse material online will come before the Seanad this week. The Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022 will be voted on at third stage in the Seanad on Wednesday. It seeks to replace the term "child pornography" in legislation including the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 and the Child Trafficking and Pornography (Amendment) Act 2004. One of the sponsors of the bill, senator Eileen Flynn, said the legislation should be a 'no-brainer for the Government', adding that bringing it in will not cost money and will 'have a dramatic impact on the victims, the children". Ms Flynn says the use of the term 'child pornography' implies that consent has been given, which a child is not in a position to give, she said. Reflective of reality She said the term 'child sexual abuse material' is more reflective of the reality, and she believes that Irish law should echo that. She also pointed to the Luxembourg guidelines, accepted by a group of 18 organisations including the UN, which advocate that nations should replace 'child pornography' with 'child sexual abuse material'. Mecpaths, an organisation which works to raise awareness of child trafficking in Ireland, has been supportive of the bill since its introduction three years ago. The organisation's networks and communications manager, JP O'Sullivan, said: 'The recognition of images of child sexual abuse for what they are is a significant step in acknowledging the harm, the abuse, and the exploitation of children. "A child can never consent to their own exploitation, so a change in the terminology is crucial for the State in recognising this. We commend the senator for her efforts, and call on the support of all professionals working with vulnerable children to lend their support to this change."
