Corkman spared jail for having child pornography 'essay'

The judge said the offence, which involved child pornography in the form of the written word only and no images, was "unusual and unique"

Judge Olann Kelleher agreed at Cork District Court that it was a unique offence and he imposed a nine-month prison sentence on Murphy but suspended it on condition that the accused would comply with all of the directions of the probation service in addressing issues related to this offence.

A ‘unique’ child pornography case saw a Corkman being convicted and sentenced today for having child pornography in the form of the written word only and no images.

A nine-page document took the form of a fictional representation of children being abused or involved in incest. Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer accepted that the case was properly classified as child pornography and that his client – 53-year-old Joe Murphy - was pleading guilty to possessing it.