Posted by A Wicklow man has avoided jail after admitting to possessing child sexual abuse material found on his mobile phone.
Michael Hollingsworth (37) with an address at Killarney Road, Bray, Co Wicklow appeared for sentencing at a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court.
The accused pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child sexual abuse material.
Detective Garda McAvoy testified that gardaí received information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children referring to a Kik account linked to Hollingsworth.
Kik is a free instant messaging app that allows users to chat anonymously using usernames instead of phone numbers.
Counsel for the prosecution, James Kelly BL, informed the court that in late January 2021, gardaí executed a warrant at the defendant’s home address, seizing three hard drives and a Samsung mobile phone.
Mr Murray added that “it’s not the biggest this court has ever seen”.
The court was told that the accused is now in secure employment and has “good qualifications”.
A probation report was handed into the court, which stated that Mr Hollingsworth has admitted his wrongdoing and is at low risk of sexual or violent re-offending.
The accused has since undergone therapy to address what was described as his “deviant sexual interests”.
Judge Patrick Quinn handed down a sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment, fully suspended, noting that the defendant is “in a stable relationship and has two small children”.
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