Children's fun park owner jailed for having 1,200 child porn images

A FORMER children's fun park owner last night began a six-month jail sentence for buying and viewing child pornography on the internet.

Peter Morphew, aged 63, described as a pillar of the County Wicklow community he adopted as his home, possessed 1,200 images of children, some younger than 10.

Sentencing him and placing him on the sex offenders register, Judge Raymond Groarke said his crime involved children subjected to "utterly depraved" and "heinous" abuse. He refused the accused leave to appeal.

A tearful Morphew, the father of two grown-up daughters, told the court he was appalled by what he had done and was sorry.

Morphew, a one-time British army officer, moved to Ballylug, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, 31 years ago and set up the Clara Lara Funpark, an outdoor adventure and watersport centre that attracted thousands of school tours and family groups every year.

After his arrest part of the Operation Amethyst garda crackdown on child pornography last year he withdrew from the business and gave an undertaking yesterday that he would never again have any involvement in it.

Morphew was arrested after a search of his home on May 27, 2002, during which he admitted viewing, downloading and buying child pornography using two credit cards.

Garda computer experts who examined internet files and a floppy disc found 204 images depicting children in sexual acts with adults or other children, 796 children in naked poses and the rest showing semi-naked children in internet advertising banners promoting the websites.

Morphew told Wicklow Circuit Court yesterday he first bought the images late at night in early 2000, at a time when he was going through a bad patch and was bored, depressed and drinking more than he should.

"I can not believe that I did it. I had not appreciated at the time the hardship and misery behind them [the images]. I certainly would not, could not do it again. I am appalled at myself."

The court heard glowing character references from two neighbours whose own children had worked at the fun park during holidays and garda evidence that there was nothing to suggest Morphew might have traded in images, created his own images or ever harmed a child other than those whose images he viewed.

Judge Groarke also accepted the views of two psychiatrists that he was at low risk of re-offending but said society had a high intolerance of the crime. "These children were used, abused and dehumanised by adults who made commercial profit by selling these images to people such as the accused. If there were not purchasers, there would be no vendors, no photographers and no victims," he said.

Judge Groarke also imposed two concurrent three-month sentences on the accused for illegal possession of a sawn off shotgun and ammunition which he said he had for scaring off intruders. Gardaí gave evidence that he had suffered six burglaries or attempted break-ins at his home since 1993.