A convicted Limerick sex offender who admitted he has a compulsion to accessing child sex abuse images has been jailed after a judge said he is a danger to society.
Anthony Keogh (53), who searched the internet using terms such as ‘child sex stories’ and ‘underage sex stories’, was caught with 12,756 images of children engaged in sexual acts with adults and in various states of undress.
His previous convictions include a six year term with three suspended for abusing a child in Limerick between 2004 and 2006.
The suspended portion of the term handed down in Limerick Circuit Criminal Court in 2008 had just expired the previous month when Keogh pleaded guilty to the current charge last March.
He was convicted of a second offence of sexually assaulting another child in July 1997 and a charge of indecent exposure of himself to a minor in December 1989.
Keogh pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the images in his home on Leinster Road, Dublin, on September 5th, 2012.
"He seems to have an attraction to children and has difficulty controlling that attraction so he is a danger to society as he currently stands before me," Judge Martin Nolan said before sentencing Keogh to four years with one suspended.
He commended the gardaí for their “exhaustive and very difficult work” in searching and analysing thousands of files found on Keogh’s laptop and three USB keys.
“The law is there to protect children at large. If there was no appetite for these types of images of children, they would not be exploited in this fashion. An exploitation which is probably taking place many miles from these shores,” Judge Nolan said.
He said it was appalling what Keogh had done but he had taken into account his plea, co-operation with gardaí and genuine expression of remorse.
He acknowledged that Keogh is beginning to have some insight into his problem and is beginning to engage with a therapy programme for sexual offenders.
Judge Nolan suspended the final year on condition that Keogh engage with the Probation Service for a year upon his release from custody and carry out two years post release supervision.
“His history is an indication that he is going to be difficult to reform and rehabilitate,” Judge Nolan said.
A psychological report concluded that Keogh was honest in his attraction to young girls which he accepted needed to be managed for the rest of his life.
He had attended the sexual offenders treatment programme with One in Four for both group and one-on-one therapy sessions.
Detective Garda Tom Stack agreed with Giollaíosa O Lideadha SC, defending, that Keogh is genuinely ashamed and remorseful but needs continual help and support because he is in danger of reverting to the same behaviour again.
“He has a compulsion and desire to look at this material but he knows it is wrong, it’s not enough on its own to stop him from doing it,” counsel said.
Det Gda Stack agreed that Keogh didn’t share the material and had never paid for any of the images.
Mr O Lideadha said Keogh had a “deep appreciation” for those who had supported him and had helped him move forward.
“He is genuinely remorseful and wants to change but accepts that it will require more work,” counsel said.