Cork man caught with child abuse images avoids jail sentence

Kyle Lucey pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the images and distribution of two of them.

A young Cork man caught with over 500 child abuse images and who distributed two of them expressed remorse and said he now accepted that it is not a victimless crime.

Judge James McCourt noted that the accused, Kyle Lucey, aged around 20, of Upper Belmont Avenue, Rochestown, engaged with a psychologist from the outset — from the time that gardaí called to his door — in October 2021 when they discovered and seized the images and one video. Defence barrister Emmet Boyle said that the accused was not a man who was only taking all of the steps to rehabilitate just before his sentencing date.