High volume of child porn probes causes 4-year backlog of forensic tests

The high volume of investigations into suspected possession of child porn has caused a backlog of up to four years in the Garda office responsible for forensically examining computers.

In one case where IT equipment was seized as part of a probe into suspected child pornography, the computers remained at Garda forensics for four years.

Judge Olann Kelleher said at Cork District Court yesterday he was startled to think the volume of these cases was causing such a backlog.

Fifteen months ago at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Thomas O’Donnell had declared himself “flabbergasted” at a similar three-year delay.

The issue arose again yesterday when a man who was never charged with any offence applied to Cork District Court to have his computers returned to him.

Sergey Morozov, who is in his 30s, had a computer, two laptops, and an MP3 player seized from him by gardaí on Jan 22, 2010, at his home at 20 Heron Gate, Blackpool, Cork.

He came to court yesterday with his solicitor, Joseph Cuddigan, to make what is called a police property application — in other words an application to have seized property returned to him.

Mr Cuddigan said Mr Morozov heard nothing more from the gardaí from the time of the seizure so he wrote to them recently enquiring about the equipment and was told in November that the matter remained under investigation.

Det Garda Niall O’Connell said there had been a preliminary examination of the equipment and they were awaiting a more detailed forensic analysis in order to advance the investigation.

He said the delay was due to the large volume of requests for forensic examination of computers in relation to child porn.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: “I am startled to hear there is such a volume of child pornography that it [forensic examination] is taking a long time to go through.”

Following further exchanges between the detective and Mr Cuddigan, the solicitor said there would be no objection to an adjournment of the application to have the property returned. Judge Kelleher put the application back for six months.

In 2012, children’s rights groups and Garda staff associations called on the minister for justice to ensure that resources were given to the Garda Computer Crime Investigations Unit.

Last night, Rape Crisis Network spokeswoman Cliona Ní Saidlear said: “We need a forensics unit solely dedicated to sexual violence cases.”