Gardai in swoop on child porn suspects

March 2002

Wicklow Gardai have swooped on two homes in the area as part of a nationwide crackdown on suspected child pornographers.

The Gardai carried out dawn raids on two homes – one in Rathdrum and one in Newtownmountkennedy – as part of Operation Amethyst.

They descended on the homes at 6 a.m. on Monday, at the same time as people in over 100 other premises around the country were getting the same wake up call.

Material was seized at both premises including computer discs, hardware and PCs. They will be sent for thorough examination by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Harcourt Square, Dublin.

No arrests were made but filed on the two individuals involved will be prepared for the DPP.

There was no reason to believe that any local children were at risk from the individuals as the child pornography was all internet based. A garda spokesperson added that there was absolutely no reason to believe that local children had been involved.