A MAN allegedly engaged in online chats about his urge to torture, rape, and murder a child, Limerick District Court heard.
The man said he would “love to torture, rape, and kill a child”, Gardaí alleged.
Gardaí told the court that the man, who cannot be named following a court order, is an ongoing “risk to children”.
The man appeared before Limerick District Court charged with 14 offences under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998, including possessing, producing, and distributing images and videos of sexual abuse of children.
Gardaí alleged in court that the video recordings included a baby aged six months, a toddler aged 18 months, a six-year-old girl, and an eight-year-old boy with his hands chained.
The man, in his 40s, was previously refused bail at a special weekend hearing of the district court on October 30.
Gardaí told a contested bail hearing at the time that they seized electrical equipment, including phones, at the accused’s home that allegedly contained “extreme child pornography”.
Detective Garda James Muldowney, Divisional Protective Services Unit, Henry Street Garda Station, said the accused did not reply after he was charged.
The Detective Garda alleged that the accused had engaged in conversations on the sexual abuse of children on the Session and TeleGuard social media platforms.
Detective Muldowney also alleged that the accused shared videos of child sex abuse online and told others he would “love to torture, rape, and kill a child”.
The Detective Garda also told the court that the accused is addicted to crystal meth and told Gardaí that, although he was HIV positive, he was having unprotected sex and not taking prescribed medication to stop the spread of the virus to others.
Detective Garda Muldowney alleged the accused also told Gardaí that he has a sexual attraction to pubescent boys.
The Garda further alleged the accused is “an immediate threat to any child in his presence” and “a danger to the community”.
The accused’s barrister, Liam O’Carroll, said the alleged online chats were “abhorrent”.
Mr Carroll said his client’s instructions were that he had been the victim of sexual abuse as a child. Detective Muldowney concurred the accused told Gardaí this following his arrest last month.
“It is the case that he is charged with very serious offences in a very serious context. I want the court to take into consideration the fact that he has indicated that he himself has been a victim in the past of such malicious behaviour on the part of others,” Mr Carroll said.
“That had a profound effect on him and he now finds himself addicted to an extremely harmful substance in the form of crystal meth. He has told me that he has attempted to get treatment for his difficulties.”
In refusing bail, the court said the accused was entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
At a later hearing, the man appeared via video link from a remand prison and it was heard that a book of evidence was awaited in the case.
The accused was further remanded in custody to appear before the district court again on November 25.
– Court Reporting Scheme