A former secondary school music teacher has been jailed after he admitted possessing videos and images of adults engaging in sexual activities with children as young as three.
Sam Kavanagh (30), with an address at Kilkerric, Derrymore East, Tralee, Co Kerry, was arrested by gardaí after they were alerted to his offending by authorities in the United States.
One of the 162 videos and images found on a laptop and hard-drive owned by Kavanagh involved a three-year old girl, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Kavanagh was identified after he used his own personal email address to manage a Dropbox online storage folder to upload and keep the illegal material.
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He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing the explicit material on dates between September and December 2021.
Gardaí unearthed 137 videos and 25 images, most of which were classified as “Category One” child sex abuse material, the “most extreme” form, a detective garda told the court.
Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan said gardaí established that Kavanagh was a secondary school music teacher who was living in the Patrickswell area of Co Limerick.
Gardaí obtained a search warrant for an address at Shannon Banks, Corbally, Co Clare, and raided the property on December 17th, 2021, recovering a laptop and a computer hard drive containing the explicit material.
Kavanagh immediately confessed the devices were his, and he admitted owning, saving, servicing, and storing the child abuse material which he said he had downloaded from a website called Mega which is based in New Zealand.
Mr O’Sullivan said one of the images found on Kavanagh’s devices was of an “adult male” engaging in “explicit sexual activity” with “a young female, aged five”.
Some of the material showed underage teenagers involved in sexual activity with younger children.
Mr O’Sullivan said the videos and images are held in the United States but were shared with members of the Garda Online Child Exploitation Unit by way of a “mutual assistance” arrangement between Ireland and the US.
Kavanagh was arrested on December 14th, 2022, and he appeared before the Circuit Court for trial on a signed guilty plea, on October 31st this year.
Mr O’Sullivan said Kavanagh grew up in Co Kerry, obtained a Masters in Music, had lectured in music, and “plays music as a hobby and is involved in a band, and he taught music to children in Limerick”.
Kavanagh’s barrister, Caroline O’Connell, instructed by solicitor Eimear Griffin, asked the court to consider imposing a suspended sentence adding that, Kavanagh had engaged in counselling and “made a great effort to address his problems”.
“He is married. He has huge shame and remorse,” Ms O’Connell said.
After taking into consideration Kavanagh’s signed guilty plea; previous good character; his age and family circumstances; and any poor mental health he may have been experiencing at the time, Judge Colin Daly reduced a headline sentence of two and half years to 16 months on each count, to run concurrently.
The judge ordered that Kavanagh should be placed on a sex offenders register for a period of 10 years, and that the sentences be backdated to October 31st, 2024, when Kavanagh was first before the court on a signed plea.
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