RTÉ fires producer who admits he tried to groom girl (13)

RTÉ has sacked producer Kieran Creaven after he admitted to grooming a 13-year-old girl and attempting to engage a child in sexual activity.

The sexual predator had been employed by the national broadcaster since 1998 and worked on several high-profile events, including its coverage of the 2012 London Olympics.

In a statement to staff yesterday, RTÉ director general Dee Forbes informed them that Creaven had been fired.

“As a result of these legal proceedings, Kieran Creaven has been dismissed,” Ms Forbes said.

A spokesperson for the national broadcaster also confirmed the paedophile was fired after pleading guilty to the two charges.

“RTÉ can confirm that, as a result of Monday’s legal proceedings in Leeds Crown Court at which Kieran Creaven pleaded guilty to charges made against him, Kieran Creaven has been dismissed from RTÉ with immediate effect,” a spokesperson said.

The sports producer appeared before Leeds Crown Court earlier this week where he admitted two sexual offences. The grooming took place over a four-month period in which he sent vile messages to a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

However, the ‘child’ was a member of a vigilante group.

He was arrested last month after being confronted by Pred- ator Exposure, a self-styled paedophile hunter group, in a sting operation.

In court on Monday, defence counsel for Creaven said details relating to how he was confronted by the group at a hotel were “not accepted” and that messages exchanged between Creaven and the decoy would “explain the full situation”.

Judge Peter Collier said Creaven would receive “credit for his guilty plea” and adjourned the matter for sentencing until February 12. The producer was remanded on continuing bail on the conditions he resides at an address given to the court, has no unsupervised contact with children under 16, and he makes any devices with internet capabilities available to British police if requested.