SICK CHILD PORN GARDA JAILED FOR TWO YEARS
Vile videos found in laptop search
A PERVERT garda who had images and videos of children being raped was jailed for two years yesterday.
Former officer Joseph O’connor, 58, denied five counts of possessing vile material at his West Dublin home.
Judge Elma Sheahan noted the severity of the images and quoted a previous judgement stating “they cannot be created without a child being violated somewhere, often unspeakably”.
Gardai investigating an allegation of assault against the accused went to his house in August 2011 and seized evidence including a laptop.
They found videos in the computer’s “recycle bin” depicting sexually abused.
There were also multiple copies of images of assaults on children.
After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last November, a jury convicted O’connor of four counts.
The jury acquitted him of one count which dealt with 56 duplicates of two images found on his laptop.
Last month, Det Supt Colm O’malley told the court the accused had been a garda for 25 years before his suspension in 2012. He agreed O’connor had a good boys being work record and had not reoffended since the offences first came to light.
Judge Sheahan said his position as a garda meant his crimes brought the force into disrepute and placed his culpability at a high level.
She added a term of imprisonment will bring an additional hardship because of his former role.
A psychologist report placed O’connor at a low risk of reoffending but Judge Sheahan said it was difficult for the court to take this into consideration where there was no acceptance of responsibility and no willingness to engage in therapy.
Lawyer Diarmaid Collins added O’connor does not accept the jury verdict and continues to argue the prosecutions were brought in bad faith.
Judge Sheahan set a headline sentence of three-and-a-half years which she reduced to two years after taking into consideration O’connor’s position as a garda and the support of his family.
The maximum custodial sentence for the offences is a prison term of five years.
During the trial a garda said she found 43 movie files in the laptop and 15 of these showed boys being abused.