A COURT has ordered that a teenager charged with producing and possessing child sex images and videos obeys a nightly curfew and be contactable to Gardaí at all times as part of his bail conditions.
The accused, who cannot be named after reporting restrictions were imposed, appeared before Limerick District Court charged with possessing sexually explicit images and videos of children.
The 19-year-old accused is also charged with knowingly producing “child pornography”.
The offences are contrary to sections of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998 as substituted by Section 12 and Section 14 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017.
The accused is alleged to have been in possession of the alleged materials on a mobile phone at a location in Galway on September 7, 2022.
Sergeant Denis Waters, Roxboro Road Garda Station, told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had consented to the man being sent to the next sittings of Limerick Circuit Criminal Court for a trial or for a plea to the charges.
A member of the Garda investigation team was present in court to serve the accused with a copy of the State’s Book of Evidence against him.
Inspector Waters said the State consented to bail with strict conditions attached.
Judge Patricia Harney granted bail on the accused’s own bond of €1,000.
The judge ordered that, as part of the bail conditions, the accused must continue to reside at his home address in County Limerick; that he be available 24/7 to Gardaí on a mobile phone that is in credit and charged; that he sign on daily at a Garda station; and that he “remain indoors between 10pm and 7am”.
“He must surrender his passport and not apply for any new travel documents,” Judge Harney directed.
“If he fails to answer his phone to Gardaí, it will be a breach of his bail.”
The man’s solicitor, Darach McCarthy, said the accused already surrendered his passport.
The accused signed a bond agreeing to abide by all of the court-imposed bail conditions.
The court granted an application by Mr McCarthy for one junior counsel. The solicitor said he was reserving his client’s position on a second counsel.
Judge Harney gave the accused the so-called “alibi warning”, explaining to him that he had 14 days in which to inform the State of any alibi witnesses that he might rely on if he goes to trial.
– Court Reporting Scheme