SENTENCING HAS BEEN adjourned in the case of a Kerry man who admitted paying a woman for access to her children for his sexual gratification.

Sentencing was also adjourned in respect of the woman who admitted producing and selling naked pictures of her two children to Timmy Duggan, (35), Mountain Lodge, Annagh, Tralee.

Duggan pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including sexually exploiting and sexually assaulting young children and possessing child sex abuse images.

Duggan was previously returned for trial on a total of 47 counts of child sexual offences, arising out of four separate Garda investigations, but entered early guilty pleas in each prosecution.

His barrister said his client’s actions had been “deplorable”.

In one of the four cases, Duggan and the mother of a young boy and girl who were given to Duggan for his own sexual gratification, had initially been returned for trial on a total of 54 offences.

Duggan, and the woman – who can’t be named to protect the identities of her children – pleaded guilty to “organising the production of child pornography; obtaining and producing a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation; causing a child to be trafficked or taken for the purpose of sexual exploitation, possession of child pornography”.

Duggan paid the mother of the young boy and girl a total of €3,350 to use them for his own sexual gratification.

The payments were made via an online bank transfer in staggered amounts of €300, €250; €200, €150, €100 and €50.

The woman’s barrister described her as a “very damaged individual who is psychologically vulnerable”.

Duggan, a four-time Kerry county badminton champion, also admitted attempting to solicit sexual favours from two young girls on a street in Kerry, offering them money to show him their naked chests.

All of these offenses occurred in the county of Kerry, on dates between January 2018 and October 2019.

In a second separate case Duggan pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly possessing three child sexual images, which Gardai found on his mobile phone, at a Limerick garda station, on April 28, 2016.

Duggan also pleaded guilty that he encouraged or knowingly caused activity for the distribution, publication exportation, sale or show of child pornography, at an address in Limerick, on dates between July 2015 and April 2016.

In another case linked to Duggan, a woman is facing charges of sexually exploiting her young son, as well as knowingly producing child pornography – including text messages in which the sexual assault of children was allegedly discussed with Duggan.

In another case Duggan pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly possessing child pornography, and sexually exploiting two young girls in Limerick, in 2016.

In a fourth case, Duggan pleaded guilty to nine offences, including paying the mother of a young girl for access to her daughter for his sexual gratification; inducing the young girl to touch his penis, and sexually assaulting the girl.

Duggan also admitted paying another woman for access to the same girl; engaging in a sex act with another person when the girl was present, in order to obtain sexual gratification from the presence of the child.

None of the women can be named to protect the identity of the young victims, who along with their siblings, have been placed in the care of the State.