Man caught distributing child abuse images from home in Cork is jailed

A French man caught distributing thousands of images of child sex abuse from his home in Cork claimed that he was trying to entrap others with the intention of passing on the information to gardaí and to the FBI in America.

Maxime Fabre’s senior counsel Ray Boland said that, bizarrely, another reason the 40-year-old gave for his involvement with child sex abuse images was to make his mother and sister hate him so that it would be less disturbing for them if he died by suicide.

Fabre was jailed for two years by Judge Jonathan Dunphy at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The judge imposed a total sentence of three and a half years, with the last 18 months suspended.

The accused ultimately admitted the distribution of child pornography and also to a count of dealing cannabis.

Mr Boland SC said the accused had a traumatic childhood in France, he abused cannabis to go through the day on auto-pilot and that this created its own difficulties over time.

“Objectively, he gave bizarre reasons for his offending,” Mr Boland said. “But the psychologist concluded that there was nothing to indicate he has a sexual interest in children and commented that it was possible that he accessed it for the purposes described. He is also described in the psychological report as a psychologically vulnerable man.”

The defence senior counsel added: “He has a history of poor mental health and suicide attempts associated with these offences.”

Prosecution barrister Mary O’Dwyer said that the offence of distribution of child pornography carries a possible maximum sentence of 14 years.

The 40-year-old man admitted the charge of distributing child pornography and having cannabis for sale or supply. The first charge states that he did knowingly have in his possession child pornography, namely 926 image files and 240 video files at his home on October 18, 2020, did distribute child pornography on July 21, 2019, and had cannabis and possessed the drug for the purpose of sale or supply at his home on October 18, 2020.

He pleaded guilty to all four charges.

Judge Dunphy said: “An aggravating factor is that it is abundantly clear the effect this has on juvenile victims in this dark and criminal underworld.”

Detective Garda Paul Cogan said the accused man used Kik to upload child sexual abuse images obtained through various social media.

When computer devices were seized from his home at Bruach Na Laoi, Union Quay, Cork, on October 18, 2020, cannabis with a street value of €1,700 was also found.

“He claimed he was trying to entrap others and he was going to pass on the information to gardaí,” said Det Gda Cogan.

“He said he was sharing thousands of images in an effort to track down these people.”