Cork court adjourns case of child sexual abuse images to next year

The defendant is charged with having 3,819 images and 120 movie files at his apartment on Grand Parade

Judge Ó Donnabháin adjourned the case until January 31, 2022. File photo: iStock

The case against a 61-year-old man charged with having thousands of images of child sexual abuse in Cork city more than three years ago has been put back to January of next year.

Garda Neil Walsh originally charged William Sweetnam with an address at an apartment on Grand Parade, Cork, with two counts related to the possession of images of child sexual abuse.

The first count states that on June 11, 2018, at his home on Grand Parade he had child sexual abuse material in the form of 3,819 images and 120 movie files.

He was charged with having 34 such images at Princes Street on the same date.

The case was mentioned before Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. Defence barrister, Alan O’Dwyer, said that extensive discovery issues were as yet unresolved and he sought an adjournment until the second next sessions of the circuit court.

Prosecution barrister, Ray Boland, did not object to that application.

Judge Ó Donnabháin adjourned the case until January 31, 2022.

The accused was not required to be in court for the adjournment application.

Ultimately, it is a case which will be heard by judge and jury sometime next year.