Courts / Dublin / Report

Jehovah's Witness jailed for sexually exploiting girl (13)

Summary

A 29‑year‑old Jehovah's Witness was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for sexually exploiting a 13‑year‑old girl. The court heard that in 2016 he and the girl exchanged Viber messages that included sexually explicit images of the child. He pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and to possession of child‑pornographic images. Judge Karen O'Connor noted the absence of prior convictions and the value of the guilty pleas, and suspended the final year of a two‑and‑a‑half‑year term on the condition of good behaviour and participation in a sex‑offender treatment programme. He was also ordered to have no unsupervised access to children. The offence was discovered when the girl's older sister saw the messages and alerted their mother. The man claimed he was "sexually naive in the extreme" due to his religious beliefs, but the court found the allegations and his admissions to be credible.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jehovah's Witness jailed for sexually exploiting girl (13). Charges or matters: sexual exploitation of a child on dates in late 2016. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• 2021-02-18 Publication

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Read the original CNI report