Teenager actively courted gay men online
It is believed the 15-year-old boy had sex with as many as five grown men before his mother discovered evidence of the abuse on his mobile phone.
He contacted the men through a gay internet chat room and met them for sex at sites near his home in north Dublin City.
It is understood the fact he was under the age of consent was known before the incidents took place.
This makes the offence an automatic case of rape even though force was not used.
According to gardaí the boy had been actively looking to explore his sexuality through the internet chat rooms.
It is believed at least 10 men attempted to exploit the teenager’s sexual curiosity although not all of them met the boy in person.
The internet chat room had been used by the men for the purposes of grooming the victim. Grooming is a technique used by paedophiles to familiarise themselves with children via the internet and lure them into situations where they can be exploited.
Yesterday, child welfare groups said the process of grooming should be outlawed.
Irish Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children Chief executive Paul Gilligan said boys coming to terms with their sexuality were particularly vulnerable to this practice.
“This is a classic grooming scenario and what you have is a situation where a kid is coerced into doing something he knows is wrong, but thinks he is to blame but in a subtle way.
“The internet and chat rooms facilitate this type of grooming and it is especially dangerous for boys who will be more inclined to explore things on the internet that they shouldn’t, or look at pornography and get into situations where that will be exploited.
“What is important to take out of this is that parents should be actively talking with their kids about issues of their sexuality and, rather than looking for things afterwards, are proactively discussing the issues and the dangers,” Mr Gilligan said.
In this case the boy’s mother discovered the text messages less than two weeks ago and approached gardaí in Coolock.
Two men were arrested last week, a truck-driver and a foreign language teacher, who admitted to having sex with the boy.
Another man, a 21-year-old probationary garda, volunteered himself for questioning at an independent station in Tallaght and was interviewed under caution. This man, who is from Leinster, has been suspended from his station in South Dublin for three months.
Gardaí are currently preparing a case for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A spokeswoman for the Health Service Executive Dublin North East area said it had not been involved in the case so far, but it would make itself available if specialists are required.
“Social Workers will be making contact with the family to establish their needs and to make the appropriate referral to the therapeutic agencies.”
