A Kerry man has been given four years in prison for producing and possessing child pornography.
He used hidden cameras to film his step-daughter in their home, unknown to her and her mother.
This 37-year-old man came before Tralee Circuit Court for sentencing today; he previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, and five charges of production of child porn.
After being alerted by Canadian police, gardaí obtained a search warrant for the man’s home in Kerry on May 15th 2019.
A phone, computer, and hard drive were seized, and the man made admissions to gardaí.
Hundreds of images of child pornography were discovered on the devices.
The man had placed hidden cameras in his stepdaughter’s bedroom and bathroom to film her.
He had backed up her phone, unknown to her, downloading photographs from her phone onto a hard drive.
His internet search history was found to contain terms associated with child pornography.
The man, who’s now separated from his wife, brought a letter to court, acknowledging no apology could make up for what he did.
Judge Sinead Behan noted a probation report stated he lacks insight into the impact of child pornography on victims, and that he has a strong sexual interest in children, which hasn’t been addressed.
She directed he be placed on the sex offenders' register, and must attend a sex offenders' programme.
Considering an early guilty plea, she sentenced him to five years for producing child pornography, suspending the final year for four years.
She issued a two-and-a-half-year sentence for possession of child pornography, and suspended the final six months for four years.
Both sentences are to run concurrently, resulting in four years in jail, backdated to May 25th this year.
If anyone is affected, they may contact Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre or One in Four.
