Man (45) charged in inquiry into gay dating website allegations

A man has been charged following complaints men were being blackmailed after attempting to meet teenagers on a gay dating website.

Neil Duggan (45) was charged following a Garda investigation into a complaint by a man that he was blackmailed amid claims he had linked up with a teenager on the fabguy.com website

Mr Duggan from Riverside Rise, Rushbrooke, Cobh was charged with one count of demanding €2,500 with menaces from the 60-year-old victim at Spur Hill outside Cork city on April 11th, 2017

He was also charged with a second count of demanding a further €5,000 with menaces from the same victim at the Topaz Filling Station in Douglas two days later.

He was further charged with threatening to kill the injured party and with threatening to damage his house and van in the car park of the Silver Key pub in Ballinlough on April 17th, 2017.

Det Garda Dave Hickey gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told Cork District Court that Mr Duggan made no reply to any of the charges.

Insp Vincent O’Sullivan said the DPP had directed trial by indictment at circuit court level and he applied for a month’s adjournment.

Det Garda Hickey said gardaí had no objection to bail once certain conditions were met, including that Mr Duggan have no contact directly or indirectly with the injured party.

Judge Olann Kelleher remanded Mr Duggan on his own bond of €400 to appear in court again on March 7th.

Judge Kelleher adjourned a decision on a free legal application.