A Dublin man who uploaded an extremely explicit child sex abuse video to his own Facebook page has been given a 12-month suspended sentence.
Eoin Prizeman (35) pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography at his home in Killinarden, Tallaght in August 2022.
Detective Garda Ronan O'Reilly said at a sentence hearing earlier this month that gardaí carried out a search of Prizeman's home after they were contacted by Facebook concerning an account user who had uploaded a video.
Brian Storan BL, representing the State, said the video was “explicit in the extreme” and depicted the anal rape by an adult male of a child aged nine or 10.
The court heard gardaí seized a number of electronic devices at the house that Prizeman shares with his parents and brother, but only one device, a Samsung mobile, contained child abuse material.
Prizeman was present during the search and told gardaí that the phone belonged to him and contained child sex abuse imagery.
The phone was sent for analysis to the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau and investigators found 276 videos of child abuse material on it.
A sample 10 videos were downloaded, of which nine fitted into the most explicit categorisation of child abuse material, Category 1.
The videos ranged in length from a few seconds to over half an hour, and the youngest victim depicted was a baby boy of six to 12 months.
The court heard that in this video, the baby boy was shown clearly distressed, tied to a makeshift bed, with his arms and legs bound.
Prizeman was arrested and interviewed by gardaí, but exercised his right to silence and nothing of evidential value arose.
He has no previous convictions.
Sentencing Prizeman on Tuesday Judge Orla Crowe said 90 per cent of those representative videos that were analysed were in the most serious category with some of them involving the sexual abuse of infants and babies.
She said it was “self evidentially a very serious crime” but accepted that Prizeman had pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. She said the case justified a headline sentence of 18 months.
Judge Crowe imposed a sentence of 12 months, having taking into account the mitigating factors, including Prizeman’s lack of previous convictions. She suspended the 12-month term for three years on strict conditions including that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour and engage with the Probation Service.
Gda O'Reilly agreed with Kieran Kelly BL, defending, that the accused had pleaded very early and that there was no suggestion that he had made any of these videos or sent them to anyone.
Mr Kelly cited a probation report which places Prizeman at low risk of reoffending and a psychological report which shows that he has shown empathy and remorse.
Counsel said Prizeman was out of work during the pandemic and increased his use of alcohol and cocaine.
The court heard that Prizeman said he was disgusted when someone he knew sent him these videos but that he did not delete them as he wished to maintain contact with this person.
Mr Kelly said his client wished to reiterate his disgust, sorrow and remorse at getting embroiled in these offences.
The court heard Prizeman had been working in a manufacturing company before the pandemic and continues to work at that firm.
