I want to kiss and cuddle you
55-year-old sent explicit photo before meeting for sex, court told
AN RTE producer messaged a “girl” he believed was 13 saying he wanted to “kiss and cuddle” her, a court heard yesterday.
It was also alleged Kieran Creaven, 55, sent an explicit photo and was arrested outside a UK hotel where he planned to meet the teenager for sex.
The girl’s profile was fake and had been set up by paedophile hunters.
A MARRIED RTE sports producer was arrested outside a UK hotel where he planned to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex, a court heard yesterday.
Kieran Creaven, 55, appeared in court in Leeds where he faced two charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with the teenager.
The Dubliner was allegedly snared by paedophile vigilante group which had set up a fake Facebook profile – and confronted him as he was about to meet her on Saturday.
He was freed on bail and will reappear before a higher court in the city next month. RTE suspended him until further notice.
At Leeds Magi strat e s Cour t, Creaven faced a charge of attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming.
He is also accused of trying to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.
The charges relat e to a time between July 1 and November 18 when Creaven is alleged to have travelled to Leeds from Dublin, with the intention of committing the crimes at a city centre hotel.
He appeared in court dressed in a blue denim shirt and blue jeans.
Not handcuffed, he looked at the floor for the entire hearing and was escorted in by one security guard.
He spoke to confirm his name, date of birth – September 11, 1962 – and to indicate he understood the charges.
The court was told the defendant had no previous convictions.
Members of the public in the gallery shouted at the accused as he spoke.
There was no indication of a plea during the 30-minute hearing.
Prosecutor Jill Seddon said: “He has been making contact online with a fictitious female who he believed to be 13 years old.
“This is a matter that should be sent to Crown Court to be dealt with.”
It was alleged the account Creaven was in contact with was fake and set up by the Facebook group calling itself Predator Exposure.
It’s claimed Creaven twice arranged to travel from Dublin to meet the girl.
The first meeting was planned for last month but the d efend ant cancelled because he became ill.
But on Saturday it is alleged he went to the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds believing he was meeting the teenage girl.
The court heard he was met by the vigilante group and later arrested by police.
The group streamed the meeting on Facebook Live and more than 5,000 people viewed it.
The onlin e conversation was described as “prolonged” by the prosecution and it was said to have begun in July, ending this month.
It is alleged the girl in the profile told the defendant she was 13. The court heard some messages were not of a sexual nature but some were.
The court also heard Creaven sent her a picture of his penis and the girl told him she had never seen one before.
The defendant allegedly told her he wanted to “kiss and cuddle” her and told police he fully accepted messaging the girl but said he didn’t mean it in a sexual way.
He meant the messages in a fatherly manner and also told police he wanted to take the girl to the Leeds Christmas markets or for a meal and listen to music with her.
The court was also told UK police contacted RTE who say they have spoken to gardai.
Mr Pritchard, defending, made an application to bail the defendant to his home address in Dublin, where he lives with his wife.
The lawyer said: “While this is a serious offence it is not unusual for defendants to be granted bail in more serious matters.
“He has never been in trouble before and has never experienced this type of situation.” The prosecution pointed out if he was granted bail he might never come back to the UK from Dublin. They added Creaven should be remanded for his own protection given the coverage the case.
The application for conditional bail was granted and Creaven will appear before Leeds Crown Court on December 18.
Creaven was granted bai l on condition he has no unsupervised access to children under the age of 16, and that he must live at his Dublin address.
The defendant was also told he must surrender all internet-enabled devices if requested to do so by police.
As the decision to grant bail was read out people in the public gallery shouted in anger.
Magistrate Rosemary Heslop said: “There is no substantial grounds to believe offences will be committed.
“There is no history of failing to attend court. These are the grounds that everyone is entitled to.”
During the hearing, the defence also made an application for the address of the defendant to be withheld from court for his own protection.
They said it was because of the emotive nature of the case, the press att ention and the fact he is a high-profile TV producer who would be recognised.
The prosecution said that attention was already on the defendant and, thanks to the actions of the group, the defendant was already in the public eye for these matters.
A protest was made by a journalist who said just because it was an inconvenience to the defendant, the interests of justice should not be ignored by withholding the address.
The magistrates decided to withhold the address for the reasons given by the defence.
The magistrates added that when the case reaches the crown court, more information may be available that will change this.
This is a matter that should be dealt with in Crown Court
JILL SEDDON LEEDS MAGISTRATES YESTERDAY