RTÉ management say they were not aware that an employee within the broadcaster had pleaded guilty to the possession of child pornography.
Justin Greene, a RTÉ News studio manager, pleaded guilty in October last year to two charges of possession of child pornography, contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.
He continued to work an RTÉ until he was sentenced in March this year. Greene, of Johnstown Way, Enfield, Co Meath, was given an 18 month sentence at Trim Circuit Court on March 6th, with the last six months suspended pending his good behaviour and on condition that he attend counselling services.
One RTÉ staff member described the disclosure of Greene’s conviction to staff as “like a bomb going off in here”.
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“There’s very deep shock and upset among his colleagues, particularly among those who worked closely with him,” said the staff member.
“No one had any idea about this. People are particularly shocked that he kept working after pleading guilty in October.”
In a statement, RTÉ News said its managers were “completely unaware that Mr Greene faced charges or had been convicted and sentenced at a local Circuit Court until after they received his resignation”
“Following his resignation, RTÉ established some limited details about the nature of the case, but it was unclear at the time if there were any restrictions that would have been in place as a result of the proceedings to protect the identity of any victims. No communication from An Garda Síochána has been received by RTÉ on this matter.”
Greene did not have an allocated RTÉ mobile phone. The statement concluded that RTÉ News has the “highest standards of digital safety and security in our operations. In an effort to safeguard our employees and ensure compliance with legal standards, RTÉ implements advanced firewall filtering technologies across all networks and digital infrastructure.”
A sitting of Trim Circuit Court in March heard that six graphic images of teenage girls were found on Greene’s phone when gardaí seized equipment at his home in May 2022.
The court heard the defendant had co-operated with gardaí when they called to his house and gave them lists of emails and passwords to facilitate their investigation.
His iPhone was the only device on which pornographic material was found. Judge John Martin was told the father of two had downloaded the material in November and December 2021, and thought he had deleted all the images in January 2022.
A defence barrister told the court the offending had taken place over a three-month period at a difficult time in his client’s life.
The lawyer added that the defendant, who had invested heavily in a career path that was now at an end, was “absolutely ashamed and remorseful” and had sought counselling following his arrest.
Judge John Martin noted the images had not been accidentally saved on the phone but the defendant had “actively sought out and saved them”.
Judge Martin said that sentencing was not an act of vengeance but an act of justice that must contain an element of punishment and rehabilitation. Remarking that there were no victim impact statements in the case, the judge said that child pornography legislation existed for the defence of innocent, defenceless victims.
Noting that a probation report had assessed the defendant at moderate risk of reoffending Judge Martin reduced a headline sentence of two years in jail to one of 18 months.
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