The Ballymaloe chef Tim Allen today pleaded guilty to being in possession of close to 1,000 indecent images of children and was sentenced to 240 hours community service and fined €40,000.
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Tim Allen
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Allen pleaded guilty at Midleton District Court in Co Cork to the charge after the court heard how detectives had found up to 1,000 pornographic images of children on 13 computers seized from his house in east Cork and the cookery school.
Allen (52), who was accompanied to the hearing by wife Darina and their four children, admitted to the court he was horrified by what he had done.
Describing as obnoxious the fact that children had been exploited for sexual gratification in this case, Justice Patwell imposed a nine-month suspended jail sentence.
Detective Sergeant Brian Goulding told the court that in the raid on Allen's home at Ballymaloe, police seized 13 computers and recovered almost 1,000 pornographic images of children, some as young as five and some engaged insexual activity. A number of the children were of Asian and eastern European origin.
Allen said he had come to the court "making absolutely no excuse" for his behaviour. He was horrified at what he had done and it had brought considerable shame on both him and his family, and wrecked his credibility, he said.He also accepted the activity he had been involved in "diduntold damage to young people".
The judge also said he was very well aware that children were being exploited by pornography. And if any good could come from the case, it should be that neglected children would benefit.
However the suspended prison sentence was subsitiuted for a 240-hour community service order after Mr Allen said he would make a €40,000 contribution to the Edith Wilkins Foundation charity for street children in India.