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A DUBLIN MAN sentenced earlier this year for possession of child pornography and coercing young girls to send him sexually graphic images has been ordered not to take part in a computer programming course.
Matthew Horan (26) was sentenced last January to nine-and-a-half years with the final two years suspended. Judge Martin Nolan had ordered a probation report on that date into what interventions and services the prison service could provide to reform Horan.
Today Lorcan Staines BL, prosecuting, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the probation report confirmed that the “Better Lives” program would be available to Horan.
He said that the report also asked the court to make an order that a certain type of program not be entered into by Horan.
Judge Nolan ordered that Horan not be allowed to enter into a computer programming course as outlined in the probation report.
He also ordered that Horan enter a bond to be of good behaviour for two years from the date of his release, undergo two years post release supervision and avail of all services available to him.
During the sentence hearing last January, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Horan used Skype, Snapchat, Instagram and Kik, an anonymous instant messaging application, to send and receive child porn images from six identified child users in Ireland and nine unknown users around the world.
A forensic examination of Horan’s computer uncovered recorded Skype calls between him and two nine year-old-girls, both individually and together.
The recordings included footage of these girls engaging in graphic sexual acts.
Horan also took part in sexually explicit text conversations with the girls, during which there would be an exchange of photos.
Horan would use Kik to share child porn images and videos with unidentified users from around the world, most of whom claimed to be young teenagers.
He threatened to share an 11-year-old girl’s nude images to her social media if she didn’t send him more graphic photos.
In the text exchange between them, this child repeatedly told Horan that she would kill herself. He then continued to coerce her to send more images, the court heard.
Pleaded guilty
Horan, of St John’s Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin pleaded guilty to a count each of sexually exploiting two girls within the State on dates between 1 April and 23 November, 2014.
He pleaded guilty to two more counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of distributing child porn on dates in 2015. He further pleaded guilty to possessing child porn at his address on 11 July, 2015.
He pleaded guilty to three further counts of sexually exploiting female children through Snapchat and Instagram in the State on dates between 21 May, 2015 and 7 July, 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing child porn on a Sony mobile phone at his home on 7 July, 2016. He has no previous convictions.
In sentencing Horan last January Judge Nolan said Horan had a very unhealthy, insidious and debased sexual interest in children. He said the crimes were all committed for Horan’s indulgence and pleasure and Horan had exploited children in a most horrible way.
“He knew what he was doing was wrong. He understood the damage and yet he didn’t stop what he was doing,” he said.
Judge Nolan had backdated the sentence to June last year, when Horan went into custody. He had ordered a report from The Probation Service in relation to interventions available to Horan.
“If there are such interventions, he has to partake of those meaningfully. It is important for society and him that he is given certain interventions that will change him,” he said.
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Until they start actually punishing people for animal cruelty nothing will change.
@Eyepopper: and people should NEVER respond to ads on those online selling sites. I boycott them and only visit adverts.ie as they refuse to allow animals to be sold by randomers through their site.
How about the government put a thing in place where there is no dog licence fee if you adopt a dog from an animal shelter? Might help take the pressure off the shelters a bit. I wouldnt ever buy a dog from a puppy farm..have 2 rescue dogs instead
@anthony marren: Absolutely and also, how about nobody buys a dog from a puppy farm and they’d all go away.,
But unfortunately we have many stupid people in our midst.
Anyone who buys a dog as a Christmas present is part of the problem.
Rescued a puppy back in September after loosing my last best friend. We weren’t emotionally ready for a new dog but we actually felt like we were depriving a dog of a good home. We are now waiting for February/March for the unwanted Christmas presents to begin getting dumped before we get the new puppy a play mate… we literally feel obliged!!
@anthony marren: Our rescue dogs from an animal shelter are the most adorable little sweethearts you could hope to meet – they have lots of young dogs if that is what people want – on the plus side they are often already toilet trained, have all their vaccinations, etc. and have been assessed by the shelter for temperament. So many beautiful dog people being put down every year – get a dog from a shelter people.
This is the same minister Coveney who insisted there was no equine welfare issues during the recession when literally hundreds of them were being abandoned and left to starve all over the country. He has displayed an incredible lack of sensitivity to animal welfare issues and is not a suitable person to be introducing regulations around puppy farming. It simply won’t work.
Also the minister that allowed live exports to middle eastern countries – he doesn’t give a sh!+ about animal welfare
@Ross Stewart: Also the same minister Coveney who insisted that the Irish badger cull was a great success which apart from costing millions and condemning thousands of badgers to prolonged inhumane deaths is totally ineffective. Scotland and most of mainland europe are officially TB free!! Scotland achieved this in 2009 without badger culling through better farming methods, movement testing and restrictions. I wouldn’t leave that fella minding my budgie because he’d probably roast him with some parsnips and eat him with cranberries and orange sauce.
I have a beautiful, annoying, brainless, warm and ever smiling mixed breed dog. She is truly a member of the family. She is a rescue dog and valuable to no one but us. Here is a real forced breeding and eugenics story. These farms should be illegal and people who buy these pure bred dogs should be ashamed to call themselves animal and dog lovers. Racially pure dogs. More shite.
@Hugh Mannatee: Racially pure?. You mean the breed, not a race. Pure breds are valuable in that they have papers and a history of the bitch etc. Mixed breed dogs much harder to define their history. Important to many people.
@Colin Foley:
“papers” are meaningless – it gives no guarantee of health, temperament or background or sociablility. Many “papers” are forgeries and most people wouldn’t even know the difference.
‘“We in the animal welfare community we take the view that dogs are not farm animals,” said Gillen.’
What’s that supposed to mean?
Why not ban all breeding? As long as there are animals being put down on a daily basis for the want of a home, there’s no place in this country for farms.
@Ruaidhrí O’Baoill: They totally should ban people breeding dogs for profit. If that won’t wash, then they should severely restrict and control licences for dog breeders. And people, please boycott those online selling sites that have sections selling puppies and email them to tell them – in my view this is where the puppy farm people sell their animals. adverts.ie does not sell animals.
how about not breeding any dogs for the next 20 years.. until every animal shelter have empty cages…
Coveny wants to pick up a cheap pug for the crimbo
I hope people learn from the animal welfare initiatives to educate people on the horrors of puppy farming and choose a shelter pet…. it breaks my heart to see animals being ill treated & abused in the name of money.
Please, if you love dogs, take the time to read up about this, follow the links and add your voice to the public consultation. Ireland’s reputation is being damaged so much by the puppy farm scandal and the situation needs addressing. However, any legislation is only as good as its enforcement so the other thing that needs to be done (other than ban puppy farms completely which would be the best solution) is for proper, unannounced inspections not the farcical ones have taken place up until now. The Myshall scandal is a case in point as is the ongoing saga in Cavan!
@patruth: We have one from Myshall and she is only now allowing us to handle her ..at times. She lives here happily with her new big sisters, a Rottweiler, a GS and a heeler but she has health problems and will never be right after her mistreatment. I’ve had dogs for over 70 years now and am always amazed at how loving and gentle that rescued dogs are no matter what the breed. Shame on our waffling ministers for not enforcing the existing laws on cruelty and neglect, we have enough laws if only they were enforced
Anyone who goes out and pays EUR400-EUR1000 for a Labradoodle or what have you is part of the problem in my opinion. They never buy the dogs from a puppy farm; they are always on display in some farmhouse surrounded by a loving family but of course they come from a puppy farm none the less.
Guidelines aren’t worth a shite. This is a debate about nothing.
As long as they are not parking up the wrong tree or crying let sleeping dogs lie!
have your say