A 29-year-old man who got young girls from the UK to pose for explicit videos and images which they sent to him by Snapchat has been jailed for a year.
Adam Palmer, of Ballyhooleen, Ballinhassig, Co Cork appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court having pleaded guilty to possession of child abuse images and using computer information technology for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Det Garda Fintan Sleator, of the West Cork Protective Services Unit, said that the offences came to light in 2020 when a mother in the UK found that her 14-year-old daughter had received payments from Mr Palmer via Snapchat.
In exchange, she sent sexually explicit pictures of herself. She was termed “Juvenile A.”
Det Garda Sleator said that the investigation unearthed several possible victims.
‘Juvenile B is 15 years old, and she stated that she told him she was 15 and that he offered her money through PayPal, that he complimented her on her appearance and arranged to meet her in a London hotel room.
He said to her the owners would think it strange for him to arrive with someone young.
She sent him eight images and 31 videos. He paid her over £1,000 (€1.1700).
Juvenile C was 16. Adam Palmer asked her to confirm she was 16. "He asked her for images of herself masturbating. She said he would be like a director… He would dictate everything I would do in the video. She sent him eight images and five videos. He paid her £245.”
Police in the UK launched an investigation and traced the relevant Paypal account to the retail worker. They contacted the gardaí in Cork.
Det Garda Sleator said Mr Palmer made certain admissions when gardaí searched his house under warrant. They established that the retail worker had obtained a total of 93 images and 90 videos sent to him by the girls via Snapchat.
Of this material, 23 of the images and 80 of the videos were Category 1 images – the most serious category – depicting children engaging in sexual acts.
Searches of Palmer’s computer, which was seized during the search, uncovered a file entitled for ‘My Eyes Only’ which detailed how pictures could be encrypted on a phone and retrieved only with a user password.
Defence senior counsel Jane Hyland SC said her client’s signed pleas of guilty had spared his victims the trauma of having to give evidence.
Ms Hyland said that Mr Palmer had been treated by psychotherapist Dr Nicholas Banks.
“He (Palmer is extremely remorseful in relation to his conduct. He has done extensive work with the probation service on understanding the nature of his offending. He presents as a sensitive and respectable young man.
“He withdrew from college and was working anti-social hours.
His opportunity to interact with his peers was curtailed. He split up with his girlfriend. He was chatting to peer-aged women online but unfortunately some of them turned out to be underage.
“He began to exchange videos and images [but] he never had any intention to meet up with any of these girls.”
Mr Palmer has undertaken numerous psychotherapy sessions with Dr Banks and is deemed at a low risk of reoffending. He has not come to garda attention since his arrest.
In sentencing, Judge Colin Daly noted the value of the plea in the case in terms of saving the victims from having to give evidence in a trial.
He also noted the previous good character of the accused and the steps taken towards rehabilitation.
However, Judge Daly said that it was important to incorporate a “genuine deterrence principle” into the sentence. He jailed Mr Palmer for two years suspending the last year of the sentence.
Free legal aid was granted in the event of an appeal being lodged. The offences occurred when Mr Palmer was aged between 24 and 25.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
