Man, 47, held on child porn charges

A 47-YEAR-OLD man at the centre of an international child pornography investigation has been remanded in custody.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with producing and possessing child pornography.

Detective Sergeant Vincent Healy told Swords District Court he charged the accused on Sunday at Balbriggan Garda Station.

The man made no reply when handed a copy of the charge sheet, he said.

Investigating gardaí asked the court to impose a media restriction on the publication of the accused’s name because investigations are ongoing.

A solicitor for the defendant made an application for legal aid, saying that she believed he would be eligible as he was no longer working. She added that there would be no application for bail.

The man was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on November 13.

There were a number of applications from gardaí for search warrants at the start of the brief hearing.

Outside the court, Detective Sergeant Michael Lynch of the Garda Paedophile Investigation Unit said police forces from Northern Ireland, Britain and the US were involved in the investigation.