Tipperary man remanded in child pornography case

A 36-year-old Tipperary man found with pornographic images of children has been remanded on bail for sentence on October 21 by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Damien Slattery, aged 36, of Oblate Road, Inchicore, pleaded guilty to having 24 photogrpahs depicting young children engaged in various sexual activities with each other and adults at his address on July 16, 2003..

Mr Sean Gillane BL, defending, told Judge Michael White that Slattery’s case was "somewhat different from the ‘usual’ child pornography-related cases" in that his client was not a man with any sexual interest in children whatsoever.

Mr Gillane said Slattery belonged to a homosexual subculture that existed in Dublin, within which adult pornographic images were exchanged and swapped among members. He was originally from Tipperary and had moved to Dublin at the age of 18.

Slattery had not acquired the child-porn images by soliciting them, but had come into possession of them through the exchange cycle. He had neither reported the matter to gardaí nor destroyed the images, but had not been engaged in their distribution or dissemination either.

Mr Gillane said Judge White should also have regard to the number of images found in Slattery’s possession as in most such cases they numbered in thousands.

Mr Fergal Foley BL, prosecuting, told Judge White that when gardaí arrived at his home with a search warrant Slattery had been cooperative and had led him to his bedroom where he handed them an envelope containing 15 pictures.

A further nine pictures were found under his bed, and a story involving an incestuous relationship between a father and a son was also found with the pictures.

Judge White ordered that Slattery be assessed by the Probation and Welfare Services to confirm whether he did pose a threat to children or not before he imposes sentence.