Man jailed for uploading child abuse images through Snapchat

A 28-YEAR-OLD Cork man who uploaded child pornography through Snapchat and went on to distribute it to others was jailed for one year.

Judge Dara Hayes imposed a sentence of one year and 10 months on Adam Delea, of Old Friary Place, Shandon St, Cork, and suspended the last 10 months, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The judge said that courts were often faced with people accused of having hundreds or thousands of such images and or videos. He said that one was one too many and was still a serious matter.

The numbers in this case consisted of four videos and five images.

Judge Hayes expressed particular concern that one related to a video of a girl aged six to nine months and was described as category one — the most serious category of child pornography.

The charges to which Delea pleaded guilty consisted of two counts of possessing child pornography and five for distributing it. The possession charges relate to August 5, 2020.

The five counts of knowingly distributing videos of child pornography relate to dates between June 16 and 21, 2020.

Detective Garda Hilary Lynch said the prosecution had a particular concern about the video related to the infant and the fact that it was distributed by the accused over Snapchat.

Sinead Behan, defence barrister, said: “He is very ashamed of the matters. In terms of his involvement, he accessed it by Snapchat.”

Ms Behan added that Delea had recently lost his job as a result of these matters becoming known.

Judge Hayes was told that Delea had hoped to meet a man online for sexual purposes and that the man had asked him if he could send him child pornography.

The probation officer who had met with Delea reported that “he does not have any true understanding of how the photos impact on the children concerned”.

Judge Hayes noted that Delea had no previous or subsequent convictions, did co-operate with the investigation, and showed remorse.

As well as the prison sentence and the suspended term, the defendant’s name is to be put on the Sex Offenders Register.