Circuit court judge on child porn charge after raid
Judge Brian Curtin who sits on the Cork Circuit is scheduled to appear before Tralee District Court on January 15 on a charge of possession of child pornography under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.
If convicted on indictment Judge Curtin faces a fine not exceeding €6,348 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.
Judge Curtin has been undergoing treatment in the Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee, Co Kerry.
Earlier this year a file completed by investigating gardaí was sent to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) James Hamilton. Following examination of the information collected by gardaí a decision to prosecute Judge Curtin was made by the DPP’s office. A summons requiring Judge Curtin to appear at Tralee District Court to face one charge has been prepared and will be served on Judge Curtin.
On the instructions of Circuit Court President, Esmond Smyth, Judge Curtin has not been given any judicial assignments since his house in Tralee, Co Kerry was raided in Operation Amethyst in May of this year. At that time a computer was removed from the house.
Judge Curtin’s home was one of 100 premises, mostly residential, raided by up to 500 gardaí in a series of swoops across the country in May.
Since then there have been a number of prosecutions for possession of child pornography brought by the State and more are pending.
The investigation centred on the downloading of child pornography onto computers via the internet. Among the homes raided were those of a leading barrister who has undertaken work on behalf of the State, two solicitors, three headmasters, a librarian, a banker, a choir master, a health board official and the chief executive of a large firm. The leading barrister has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Prior to his appointment to the judiciary, Mr Curtin practiced on the South West Circuit where he was among the leading barristers, enjoying a high profile as a frequent radio broadcaster and commentator on Radio Kerry and as an actor with amateur groups in the Tralee area.
Mr Curtin first came to public prominence as a barrister in the Kerry Babies Tribunal and built up a highly successful practice on the South West Circuit, especially in Kerry where his offices were just yards from the County Courthouse in Tralee.
Operation Amethyst was launched following pooling of information and resources by police forces across Europe, in cooperation with US authorities. Premises in 23 Irish counties were raided. It was the culmination of months of secretive work by a Garda team headed by Assistant Commissioner Joe Egan.
