Man who was facing trial accused of importing child sex dolls pleads guilty to abuse image possession

Mark Wright, 27, from Corrig in Stradbally, Co Laois, admitted this week to possession of a video and images of child abuse material that were stored on a computer

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• 06:00, 2 NOV 2023

A man who was set to go on trial accused of importing a child sex doll has pleaded guilty to possession of child abuse material.

Mark Wright, 27, from Corrig in Stradbally, Co Laois, admitted this week to possession of a video and images of child abuse material that were stored on a computer hard drive.

Appearing before Judge Keenan Johnson at Portlaoise Circuit Court, the accused was remanded on bail until sentencing in February of next year.

The court also requested the preparation of a Probation Report and legal aid was extended to the accused to cover the preparation of a psychological report.

The guilty plea to the child pornography charge comes after the accused had previously pleaded not guilty to possession of child sex dolls – in the same case.

Mr Wright was accused of importing a child sex doll from Japan – the first known charge of its kind in this country. He was accused of knowingly having child pornography in the form of a “torso” of a child with what is described as a “penetrable anus and vagina.”

The doll was discovered contained in a box with a “Japanese-style” drawing of a “naked” child, posed with its legs spread open, according to the charge. He was also accused of having another doll of a child, which is described as being “17 years old” on the box it was contained within.

And he was charged with possession of another doll, which was a “model of a young child’s mouth,” again in a box which contained a drawing of a “young female child.”

The offences are contrary to Section Six of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. The possession offences are alleged to have occurred at the accused’s home address on July 24, 2017.

Apart from those charges Mr Wright was accused of attempting to commit an offence “by purchasing and attempting to import a child sex doll,” which is contrary to common law.

That offence is alleged to have occurred within the state sometime between January 1, 2017 and October 9, 2017. The possession of child sex dolls has been placed into section of the offence of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act that deals with child pornography.

No person has as of yet been convicted of this type of offence.