Courts / Dublin / Report
Jail for man who distributed same child porn video three times
Summary
Martin Stapleton, 30, of Ballyboden, Dublin, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child pornography. Judge Martin Nolan handed down the sentence following Stapleton's admission to charges relating to offences committed on July 17, 2014, and July 1, 2015. Prosecution evidence indicated that gardaí received information from Merseyside police that indecent images had been sent via Skype from Stapleton's address. A subsequent search seized electronic devices containing 119 images and 18 videos of child pornography. Detective Garda Donagh Mannix testified that Stapleton sent a specific video depicting a female child being orally raped to three different locations on separate occasions. While Stapleton admitted to possessing and distributing the material, he denied ever touching a child inappropriately. Defence counsel Patrick McGrath SC highlighted a four-year delay in prosecution, which the judge attributed to a lack of resources for device examination. Judge Nolan noted that had the matter been dealt with expeditiously, the sentence would have been approximately three years. Stapleton has no previous convictions.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for man who distributed same child porn video three times. Charges or matters: distributing child pornography and possessing child pornography at his address on July 17, 2014 and July 1, 2015 respectively. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 17, 2014 Incident
- July 1, 2015 Incident
- June 30, 2015 Incident
- 2019-10-23 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: distributing child pornography and possessing child pornography at his address on July 17, 2014 and July 1, 2015 respectively (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan sentenced Stapleton to two years imprisonment.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
Sexual Offences Stage Sentence
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