Man charged with child sexual exploitation to consider plea on Nov 10

A 53‑year‑old man appeared before Cork District Court charged with paying a child for sexual exploitation and will return to court on 10 November to decide whether to enter a guilty plea.

Solicitor Thomas Coughlan requested additional time for his client to consider the plea, and Judge David Waters granted an adjournment for that purpose.

Detective Garda Sheila O’Brien, who brought the charges, recorded the defendant’s response after caution as “No comment at this time”.

The charges allege that, on an unspecified date between November 2019 and February 2021, the man paid a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation and, during the same period, used WhatsApp to facilitate the exploitation of a child under 17.

Further charges relate to a video containing child pornography distributed on 21 May 2021 and three counts of possession of child pornography dated 3 September 2021.

Detective Garda O’Brien indicated there was no objection to bail, subject to conditions that the accused sign in at his local garda station once a week and have no contact, direct or indirect, with the injured party.

Sergeant David Fleming noted that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed the case to be dealt with by indictment at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Identification of parties to the case is prohibited.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: David Guerrero / Pexels.