A KERRY MAN who paid women to access their children for his own “deplorable” sexual gratification has been jailed for seven years. 

Timmy Duggan’s co-accused, a mother in her 30s, was jailed for 18 months after she admitted taking pictures of her son (6) and daughter (9) and selling them to Duggan.

The woman told Gardaí that Duggan “knew I was vulnerable” after she told him she was experiencing money problems following the death of her partner.

She admitted sending Duggan nineteen individual images of her children between January 2018 and July 2019.

She received €3,500 from Duggan for the images.

Jailing the pair at Tralee Circuit Court, Judge Elva Duffy, said Duggan’s actions were “disturbing, depraved and obscene”.

The role of the mothers involved was “a breach of trust of the most fundamental kind”, she added.

A probation report on Duggan, 35, of Mountain Lodge, Annagh, Tralee, considered him to be of a “higher than average risk of reoffending”.

A report on the woman highlighted “concerns” that she continued to “lack insight” into her role.

Judge Duffy noted the woman seemed to lack understanding that the main reason her children had been removed from her care was because “she cannot be trusted with their care”.

The woman was recently given the opportunity to explain to her children what she had done and is ebbing afforded regular supervised visitation.

The woman’s children have indicated to their social workers that they still want a relationship with her in the future.

Judge Duffy said the woman had given birth to a third child since her children were taken into care, and that this child was in the full-time care of its father.

Duggan also told gardaí he contacted the mother of a three year old boy, seeking access to him, but this did not materialise.

Judge Duffy said women who assisted Duggan by either providing images of their children or allowing him physical access to them “should have been protecting them but they offered them up to the accused for finanincal gain”.

Duggan first appeared on the radar of Garda, when he was working as an assistant manager at a supermarket in Limerick, in April 2016.

Alarm bells began ringing about the Kerry native when the father of two girls aged 10 and 11 discovered Duggan had befriended them in the supermarket and sent them requests for naked photos via Snapchat.

Duggan voluntarily presented himself at Mayorstone Garda Station and handed over his mobile phone, laptop and access to his social media accounts.

He was arrested and questioned again in 2019 after gardaí suspected he had been engaging with women looking to access their children.

Duggan told Gardaí he was a “sex addict”, he admitted “grooming” the two girls in Limerick three years earlier, and he volunteered information to detectives about other incidents where he had received naked photos of children from their mothers.

Duggan also admitted attempting to lure two girls into his car in October 2019 in Co Kerry by offering them cash to allow him to perform a sex act in front of them.

Duggan told Gardai he was introduced to another mother of a seven year old girl through a female sex worker who he used to pay to perform sex acts on him.

Duggan admitted paying the sex worker and the girl’s mother €400 each to get access to the girl.

Duggan, who appeared before the court via video link from the Midlands Prison, admitted grooming the girl by showering her with gifts that included, roller blades, a vanity table and make-up.

Judge Duffy said Duggan was “calculating” and “pre-planned” his offences. She said he “preyed” on the women and “persuaded them to betray their relationship with their children”.

She sentenced Duggan to eight years in jail with the final year suspended – backdating the sentence to October 19, 2021 when Duggan was initially taken into custody and has remained since.

Sources familiar with the case said he is likely to be released from custody within three years, given time already serviced and remission for having entered early guilty early pleas and having fully cooperated with gardai in the case.

The judge imposed a three-year sentence with the final 18 months suspended on the woman.

Judge Duffy ordered Duggan could no longer use computers with internet access or mobile phones with cameras, unless he has authority to do so from the probation services or Gardaí.

He must also allow make any electronic equipment he is in charge of available to agencies working with him in the community after his release.

He was also ordered to engage with the probation services; attend a sexual offenders treatment programme and engage with psychological counseling.

Judge Duffy said Duggan’s female co-accused must also engage with the probation services and an addiction therapy programme.

Duggan and the woman were placed on a sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

Gardaí are continuing to investigate additional child sex offences arising out of their enquire is into Duggan.

A woman alleged to have engaged with Duggan about arranging a child for sexual abuse is awaiting trial charged with alleged child sex exploitation charges.