A 48-year old man has been convicted and fined €400 at Tralee District Court, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of child sexual abuse material generated by using AI.
In one of the images a downloaded artificial intelligence app had been used to digitally undress an image of a teenage girl, a previous court heard.
Stephen Buckley of Hunter's Wood, Ballyseedy, Tralee pleaded guilty to a single charge that on February 2, 2024 at Hunters Wood Ballyseedy Tralee he did knowingly have in his possession child pornography, to wit four photographic images created using AI and three animé video depicting sexual acts with teenagers.
The charge is contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998.He is believed to be the first person in the country to be convicted of possession of AI-generated child pornographic material.
Two years ago, the US Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted detectives in the Garda Online Exploitation Unit in Dublin to suspicious activity on his phone, the court heard previously.
Gardaí in Tralee secured a warrant and searched Stephen Buckley's home in February, 2024. They spoke to him and seized a number of phones.
An examination of the phones revealed child pornographic images, including an image of a young girl which had been digitally manipulated using an app.
At a previous sitting of Tralee District Court, Stephen Buckley pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing four child pornographic images which were generated using artificial intelligence. One of the images had involved the use of an AI app to digitally undress a teenage girl in the picture.
There were three animation or cartoon-like videos in which teenagers were depicted in sexual acts.
Defence solicitor Pat Mann told the court in Tralee today (Wednesday) where the case was listed for finalisation, that Stephen Buckley had no previous convictions. The solicitor said the matter had had a devastating effect on his client.
Mr Mann asked the court to deal with the case without recording a criminal conviction against his client. Mr Buckley had co-operated "completely" and had attended dozens of counselling sessions to address his issues, the solicitor said.
However, Judge David Waters described the offence as serious and said it was appropriate to record a conviction. He said the fact that the material was downloaded showed that there was an element of deliberation and pre-meditation involved.
He said the portrayal of the presence of the material on Stephen Buckley's phone as "almost accidental" didn't stand up. He convicted Stephen Buckley on the charge of possession of child pornography and fined him €400. Recognizances were fixed in the event of an appeal.
