BAIL GRANTED | 

Child abuse images allegedly found on man’s phone after he made harassment claim

“He admitted he was aware they were on his phone, and had been for some time; he remembered seeing them,” the sergeant alleged.

Today at 10:25

GARDAI discovered child abuse images on a Dublin man’s phone when he handed it in to them to investigate his own claims of online harassment, it is alleged.

According to prosecutors, Davin Tinton (31) had reported that he was being harassed on Facebook when gardai found the five images on his phone.

He appeared in Dublin District Court charged with possession of child pornography. The case was adjourned for Mr Tinton to decide how he intends to plead.

The accused, with an address at Northbank, Castleforbes Road, Dublin 1 is charged with possession of images of child pornography.

Garda Sergeant Maire McDevitt told Judge Bryan Smyth the DPP consented to the case being dealt with summarily at district court level, subject to jurisdiction being accepted.

She outlined the prosecution’s case so the judge could consider the issue.

Sgt McDevitt said the accused went to Store Street garda station on May 19, 2022 to report alleged harassment on Facebook. The harassment was “of himself”, he told gardai.

He handed his phone to the gardai for analysis in this investigation.

Images of child abuse were on the phone when it was analysed, it was alleged.

“He admitted he was aware they were on his phone, and had been for some time; he remembered seeing them,” the sergeant alleged.

The judge ordered disclosure of prosecution evidence to the defence. He granted free legal aid at the request of Mr Tinton’s solicitor, Benedict

O’Connor, who said the accused was between work at the moment and had no assets.

Mr Tinton has not yet entered a plea to the charge, which is under Section 6 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act.

He was not required to address the court during the jurisdiction hearing and was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again in late March.