How one 'lucky' swipe exposed sex offender Ian Horgan on Tinder

The first case in Ireland of a convicted sex offender seeking to access Tinder under a false name opens up other questions about how to marry digital freedoms with protecting society at large, writes Noel Baker

Ian Horgan, 38, has been on the Sex Offenders Register for well over a decade, since his conviction for the rape and manslaughter of beautician Rachel Kiely in Ballincollig in 2000. Picture: Andy Gibson

The name on the profile said 'Cian', but for the Tinder user swiping the world's leading dating app, something about the accompanying picture was unsettling. Was it...? It was.

The profile didn't belong to 'Cian Horgan', but to Ian Horgan, and as the judge who later presided over the case noted, there was a sharp contrast between the online depiction, and the "very different" reality.