A MAN WHO pleaded guilty to having and sharing videos and images that involved young children being raped by adult males was jailed today for 22 months, with the final 12 months suspended.

Reporting restrictions in respect of the defendant’s identity were lifted by sentencing judge Sinead McMullan, at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, allowing the media to name Kevin Raggett, (22), who came before the court with an address at Laurel Villas, South Circular Road, Limerick.

Judge McMullan described as “horrifying” the explicit material found by Gardaí when they searched another address in Limerick where Raggett was residing at the time, just nine days prior to his 18th birthday.

Gardai discovered a total of 455 videos and images on a mobile phone and two laptops owned by Raggett, then aged 17.

Most of the evidence, including 362 videos and images, was classified as “Category 1” material — being the highest level of explicit child sexual abuse and rape.

Gardaí classified 93 images as “Category 2” material, which involved the exposure of children’s genitalia and anal areas.

The judge said some of the material found on Raggett’s devices included boys “as a young as five or six” being “raped” by adult males.

Judge McMullan noted that Raggett’s defence barrister, Antoinette Simon BL, previously outlined how, “from an early age”, Raggett had been “on the radar” of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, but that “interventions were slow to come on line”.

Concerns about Raggett engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour were flagged with Tusla in 2013 when Raggett was 11; further concerns were flagged with the agency again in 2015 and 2019.

Tusla eventually contacted Gardaí in 2020 after Raggett disclosed to a counsellor that he was “sexually aroused” by young boys, said prosecution barrister, John O’Sullivan.

In turn, Gardaí searched the address Raggett was residing in and which was being run by Tusla on 4 June, 2020, and seized his electronic devices.

The court heard Raggett utilised a software programme to delete his internet browsing history as well as images and videos of explicit sexual images and videos involving adults with young children, and “pre-teen children” with other similarity aged children.

The evidence was eventually unearthed after Gardaí implemented special forensic tools on examining Raggett’s electronic devices.

The court heard Raggett had used the web browser, “Tor”, to search the “Dark Web” for child abuse material, and he had engaged in private chat forums with other paedophiles about the sharing of images and videos.

Raggett used the online source “Kik” to distribute two Category 1 videos of the most heinous child sexual abuse and rape, it was heard.

John O’Sullivan said Raggett told Gardaí after his arrest that he had started viewing the explicit material “out of morbid curiosity” and he “admitted to being sexually aroused while viewing child pornography of this nature”.

“His interaction with graphic child pornography, and his openness surrounding his sexual preference for this type of material is a worrying aspect of the case,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

A pre-sentencing probation report found that Raggett is of high-to-medium risk of reoffending.

The report concluded that Raggett may benefit from supervision and continuous interventions after he is released from prison.

Judge McMullan commended Raggett’s parents for how they had conducted themselves throughout their interactions with the relevant authorities, and for their ongoing support for the defendant.

The judge said that, as Raggett had “relevant previous convictions”, a headline sentence on each count of four years was appropriate.

She reduced each sentence to 22 months with the final 12 months suspended, to run concurrently.

She said she had taken into account Raggett’s early guilty plea, his expression of remorse, his cooperation with gardai, a “suggestion” that he may have been groomed sexually as a child by unidentified persons, and that he would have been “immature” at the time of offending.

The court placed Raggett on a “Sex Offender’s Register” for a period of at least ten years.

Judge McMullan also ordered Raggett to continually engage with services in an effort to try to reduce his risk of reoffending.

“The gravity of the material is very high, and the young age of the children involved cannot be overlooked by the court, the custody threshold has been reached,” the judge said.

Raggett was before the court on a signed guilty plea to one count that he did “knowingly distribute child pornography” on 28 March, 2020, and to one count of “knowingly being in possession of child pornography” on 4 June, 2020.

The state entered a nolle prosequi on two additional possession charges, and one charge of producing child sexual abuse images after accepting the guilty pleas to the other two counts on a full facts basis.

The court heard that Raggett had three previous convictions for sexual offences which occurred when he was a minor, and for which he received a fully suspended 16-month jail sentence at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court, on 29 July 2022.

Judge McMullan said the children in the images and videos found on Raggett’s devices were “real victims”.

The judge told Raggett, finally: “I do hope you can access help in custody, you are a young man who is intelligent, with a lot going for you, and you have a family that is supporting you, and that will stand to you.”

Raggett’s mother wept and called out to him as he was led away by two prison officers to begin his sentence.