A former Irish soldier who possessed “depraved” sexual images and videos of children has been given suspended jail sentences by a judge in Limerick.
Cormac Browne (23) of Camas, Newcastle West, Co Limerick, admitted possessing sexually explicit images of children, including a photo of an adult performing a sex act on a baby.
Browne, who was almost 21 at the time, also admitted recording sexually explicit live video chats with preteen girls online.
Browne was caught in possession of the child sex abuse material by gardaí when they raided his home on April 9th, 2023.
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Judge Simon McAleese commended the Garda’s “super work” in apprehending Browne and unearthing his “deplorable” and “disgraceful” actions.
Det Garda Orlaith Ryan told Browne’s sentencing hearing at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court that gardaí received a tip-off from the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children in the US about a Snapchat account, linked to Browne, from which a sexually explicit image of a child had been uploaded.
Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley told the court that Snapchat had determined the image to be illegal content and it had shut the account down.
Gardaí searched Browne’s home and seized his electronic devices. A Garda forensic analysis of a mobile phone belonging to Browne unearthed four images and two videos of a sexually explicit nature involving children.
When interviewed by gardaí, Browne made admissions in respect of the Snapchat account that had drawn the attention of the US authorities.
Browne said he was sent an unsolicited sexually explicit video, which he said had shocked him. He told gardaí he saved the image and later forwarded it to another person.
Barrister Joe McMahon, for Browne, asked for leniency.
“He knew what he was doing was wrong but did not have the willpower to stop. He served in the Army, completing a tour of duty in Lebanon and he voluntarily discharged himself,” McMahon said.
The judge said, in his opinion, Browne “knew well his activities were depraved” and that he had “preyed” on the “vulnerabilities” of the children.
“He resigned his membership of the Irish Army as he realised that it was no longer tenable. The loss of his employment was entirely self-inflicted and can be of no relevance in mitigation.”
The judge remarked that despite the victims being unknown to Browne, “if there wasn’t a market” for paedophilia then “children wouldn’t be used for this purpose”.
The judge imposed concurrent headline sentences of three years on four of the eight charges faced by Browne, including for possession, production, attending and using communications technology in respect of child abuse material. He reduced the terms to 18 months and suspended them in full for three years on conditions.
The judge ordered Browne be assessed for 240 hours of community service in lieu of an 18-month prison sentence in respect of a charge of producing child abuse imagery in a live video chat with two underage girls.
Browne agreed to abide by the order provided he is deemed suitable for community service by the probation service, which, the court heard, had deemed him to be of “moderate risk” of reoffending.
