Man who wanted to torture, rape and kill a child remanded in custody for sentencing

David Raleigh

A man was remanded in continuing custody Monday for sentence on charges of possessing “extreme” child sex images and videos and telling others he wanted to torture, rape and murder a child.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons at this juncture, appeared via video-link from a remand prison, for a sentencing hearing before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, April 20th.

Sentencing was adjourned after the man’s barrister, Liam Carroll, said that he was waiting for the probation service to produce a probation report in respect of his client.

Prosecuting barrister, John O’Sullivan, told the court it was a “disturbing case”.

Judge Colin Daly said he was satisfied to adjourn the matter to a date in June, to allow the probation service time to interview the defendant and compile a pre-sentencing report.

At a previous hearing, a detective garda attached to An Garda Síochána’s protective services unit - which investigates crimes of a sexual nature - described the defendant as a “risk to children” and a “danger to the community”.

The defendant pleaded guilty to a total of 14 offences relating to the possession, production and distribution of digital material and sexualised conversations relating to children.

The defendant, in his 40s, made no reply to the charges initially, but he later pleaded guilty to the offences.

The man was arrested and first charged before a special weekend sitting of District Court, in October 2025.

Evidence

At that hearing, Detective Garda James Muldowney, Henry Street Garda Station, gave evidence that gardaí searched the man’s home and found mobile phones containing “extreme child pornography”.

Garda Muldowney said that imagery of an eight-year-old boy whose hands were chained together was included in the material found on the man’s mobile phones.

Gardaí also found digital conversations between the man and others, on chat apps, Session and TeleGuard, relating to the sexual abuse of children.

Garda Muldowney said that, in one of the digital chats, the defendant stated he would “love to torture, rape and kill a child”.

Garda Muldowney said the man also stated in the online chats that he had been “so close a few times” to actually harming a child.

Garda Muldowney said that in his view, the man was a “risk to children” and that he had distributed extreme videos to unnamed individuals online.

Crystal meth

The court heard the defendant told gardaí he had been addicted to crystal meth, and that he did not always remember his actions after taking the drug.

Garda Muldowney said the man also told gardai he had the HIV virus but that he was not taking prescribed medication to stave off the virus, and that he was having unprotected sex with others.

The court heard that the man also told gardaí that he had been planning to travel to the Philippines to act out on a sexual attraction to pubescent boys.

Garda Muldowney told the October 2025 court hearing that, in his opinion, the man was an “immediate threat to any child in his presence”.

'Performative fantasy'

During a failed bail application before Limerick District Court last October, Mr Carroll, defending, put it to Garda Muldowney that, although the defendant’s online conversations with others were “albeit abhorrent”, they were “performative fantasy”.

Garda Muldowney replied: “That’s what he (the defendant) says, but they interject with his actual life, and that is too close for my comfort.”

Garda Muldowney agreed with Carroll that the defendant claimed he had been sexually abused as a child.

Carroll told the court that the defendant had been willing to abide by any bail conditions which gardaí might have sought, including that he was willing to give up access to mobile phones, laptops, etc which might allow him further access to child sex material and or contact other individuals with a similar predilection.

Garda Muldowney told the court: “It’s not actually the devices that are my concern, it’s the real world people that I believe are in danger.”

Carroll told the court the sexual abuse, which the defendant claimed had been perpetrated on him when he was a child, “had a very profound effect on him and he finds himself addicted to an extremely harmful substance — crystal meth”.

“He has told me he has attempted to get treatment for his difficulties but that it’s quite difficult to find somebody appropriate.”

A summary of the man’s offending will be heard at a pre-sentencing hearing in June.