Judge faces child pornography charges

Two men, one a Circuit Court judge, are to face charges next week in connection with police raids last year in an international crackdown against child pornography.

The judge will appear in the District Court at Tralee, Co Kerry, next Wednesday, and the second accused, a businessman, will be charged in a district court at Midleton, Co Cork, the following day.

Charges against the pair will relate to alleged offences under Ireland’s Child Pornography Act.

The judge involved has not been assigned to any courtroom cases for a number of months.

The Director of Public Prosecutions’ Office has ordered summonses to be issued against a number of individuals following Operation Amethyst, carried out last May by 500 members of the Garda Siochana’s domestic violence and sexual assault unit.

Up to 100 addresses throughout Ireland were visited by gardai. Among them were the homes of a barrister, the head of a major company and a health authority official.

Operation Amethyst was launched after consultations with America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has also been involved in activities as part of a worldwide campaign aimed at curbing child pornography activities.