Man charged with multiple child sex offences

A man has appeared before the courts on multiple child sex and exploitation charges.

The accused, a 50-year-old journalist who cannot be named or otherwise identified for legal reasons, appeared before Judge Cormac Dunne at Dublin District Court today.

Garda Edward Burke, giving evidence of arrest, charge and caution, said he arrested the accused at 9:02am in Ballymun, north Dublin.

He was taken to Ballymun Garda station where in the presence of Sgt Kevin Roche, Garda Burke put 50 charges to the accused, who made no reply.

The accused was then held in custody and taken to the Courts of Criminal Justice in Dublin’s north inner city where he appeared before Judge Dunne at a brief sitting commencing at 11.40am.

Some seven charges relate to alleged sexual acts with a female child under the age of 17 years on dates in 2011.

A further three charges relate to the alleged sexual assault of a female in the car park of the Clarion Hotel at Dublin Airport, in Croke Park, Dublin, and in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

Those three alleged offences occurred in April, May and June 2007.

A further 40 charges relate to sexually-based child exploitation.

They include “inviting, inducing or coercing” a child into the production of pornography on unknown dates between December 2008 and March 2011, contrary to the Child Trafficking Act 1998.

Other charges relate to allegations the accused “invited, induced or coerced” a child “to engage or participate in a sexual, indecent or obscene act” in March 2011 contrary to the Child Trafficking Act 1998.

The accused man was granted bail on his own bond of €500 and an independent surety of €2,000 from his brother-in-law.

The court was told by the accused man's solicitor Michael Hennessy that the bail conditions had been agreed between the DPP's office and the accused before today's hearing, subject to court approval.

They included a condition the accused would surrender his passport, but which may be returned to him on occasion in the period he is waiting to be put on trial.

Judge Dunne also stipulated that as part of the bail conditions, the accused was barred from applying to the Department of Foreign Affairs for a duplicate passport and that the Department was to be notified of this.

He is also obliged to sign on at Ballymun Garda station every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday between the hours of 9am and 9pm.

The court was told the Garda had no objection to bail being granted.

It was also told the accused would be making an application for free legal aid at the next hearing.

The accused was remanded on bail to appear before the court again on April 29th when the book of evidence is due to be served.