Man who pleaded guilty to possession of child porn images also watched beheading videos 'to relax after work'

Beheadings were viewed online by a 44-year-old Cobh man as a way of relaxing after work.

Peter Mulcahy of 34 Willow Drive, Cluain Ard, Cobh, County Cork, revealed that to gardaí when he was under investigation four years ago for the possession of child pornography.

Mulcahy has now pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to the charge of possession of child pornography.

The defendant admitted that on June 23, 2015 that he had 72 images and one movie of child pornography where he then resided at Rushbrook, Cobh, Co Cork.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin imposed a 12-month suspended jail term on him yesterday for having the child pornography four years ago.

Detective Garda Rachel McGrath investigated the case and said that the accused man told them that he had been viewing child pornography from 2014 until he was caught in June 2015.

The detective also said: “He watched beheadings as a way of relaxing following work.”

While this was stated in the course of the evidence at the sentencing hearing today, it formed no part of the offence to which the accused pleaded guilty.

Defence barrister Stephen O’Donoghue said that the defendant had no previous convictions and had not come to any adverse attention since the offence was detected. A background report put him at a low risk of re-offending and noted that he had the ability to control his behaviour over the last four years.

Judge Ó Donnabháin said that it was a factor in the case that the defendant had this hanging over him for the last four years. The judge said there was no question of the distributing of child pornography by the defendant or engagement in chatrooms or anything like that.

“He has been honest about the extent of his involvement,” the judge said.