Courts

Man jailed for paying underage girls to send sexually explicit videos

Adam Palmer (29) pleaded guilty to possession of child abuse images and using IT for purpose of sexual exploitation

Adam Palmer got young girls to pose for explicit videos and images which they sent to him via Snapchat in exchange for money. Photograph: iStock

Olivia Kelleher
Thu Feb 22 2024 - 17:36

A Co Cork man who got young girls to pose for explicit videos and images which they sent to him via Snapchat in exchange for money has been jailed for a year.

Adam Palmer (29), of Ballyhooleen, Ballinhassig, appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court having pleaded guilty to possession of child abuse images and using computer information technology for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Palmer was between 24 and 25 at the time of the offences.

Det Garda Fintan Sleator said the offences came to a light in 2020 when the mother of a 14-year-old in the UK found her daughter had received payments from Palmer via Snapchat. The girl, referred to as Juvenile A, sent sexually explicit pictures of herself in exchange for money. The investigation unearthed several possible victims, he added.

Juvenile B (15) said she told Palmer she was 15 and offered her money through PayPal. She sent Palmer eight images and 31 videos and received more than £1,000 in return.

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Palmer asked Juvenile C to confirm she was 16 and asked her for images. She said Palmer would be like a director and dictate everything she did in the videos. She sent him eight images and five videos and received £245.

Police in the UK opened an investigation and traced the relevant PayPal account to Palmer before contacting gardaí in Cork.

Det Garda Sleator said Palmer made certain admissions when gardaí searched his house under warrant. They established that the retail worker had obtained a total of 93 images and 90 videos sent to him by the girls via Snapchat. Of these, 23 images and 80 videos fell into the most serious category as they depicted children engaging in sexual acts.

Jane Hyland SC, for Palmer, said her client’s signed pleas of guilty had spared his victims the trauma of having to give evidence. She said he has been seeing a psychotherapist and is “extremely remorseful” about his conduct.

She said Palmer withdrew from college, was working antisocial hours and his opportunity to interact with his peers was curtailed. He split up with his girlfriend and was chatting to peer-aged women online but unfortunately some of them turned out to be underage. She said he “never had any intention to meet up with any of these girls”.

Judge Colin Daly noted the value of the guilty plea, Palmer’s previous good character and the steps taken towards rehabilitation. However, he said it was important to incorporate a “genuine deterrence principle” into the sentence. He jailed Palmer for two years, suspending the final year.

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