Mullingar chef jailed for encouraging teenage girls to send sexually explicit images and videos

A Mullingar chef who encouraged teenage girls in the United States to make and send him sexually explicit videos and images has been jailed for two years.

Introvert Gary Clavin (33), with an address at Grange Crescent, Mullingar, pleaded guilty to knowingly encouraging at least four teenage girls aged between 14 and 16 to self-produce child pornography on dates between October 10, 2015, and September 30, 2018.

Gardaí identified at least four victims after the man’s phone, social media account and online activity were analysed.

In 2018, gardaí in Mullingar were contacted by colleagues in the online child protection unit in Harcourt Square, Dublin, regarding a Facebook account under a false name, which was linked to two email accounts leading to the accused man.

Using that Facebook profile, the man had obtained sexually explicit images of teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 16. An examination of his laptop and mobile phone revealed 700 to 1000 images and 30 videos of child abuse material.

Chat logs on the man’s Facebook account found him to have encouraged the girls to produce and send him explicit content. He was charged under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.

The court previously heard how Mr Clavin suffered from low self-esteem due to weight problems. He had set up the false social media profile to connect with other people and often ended up chatting with teenage girls in America.

Judge Johnson noted that Mr Clavin had suffered mental health and body image issues, but had made significant efforts at rehabilitation through forensic psychotherapy. He had demonstrated remorse for his actions, expressed empathy for the victims and realised the errors of his ways and that his actions had an impact on the victims.

He noted that people convicted of these offences “tend to suffer ostracisation” in society and that Mr Clavin will be on the sex offenders register, meaning he will have to report to gardaí at least four times a year, which in itself is a punishment.

He said, however, the court had to register its abhorrence of this type of offending and send a clear message that these types of offences will result in custodial sentences.

A probation report assessed Mr Clavin to be at a moderate risk of reoffending. His offences carry a maximum sentence of 14 years, but Judge Johnson said that this case was on the border of the lower end of the mid-range and attracted a headline sentence of six years.

Taking into consideration such mitigating factors as an early plea of guilt, his cooperation with gardaí, his good work history, remorse for his actions and the fact he has been making efforts to rehabilitate himself, Judge Johnson reduced the sentence to one of four years.

He proceeded to suspend the final two years for a period of five years on the condition that he remain under the supervision of the Probation Service and continue with his therapeutic intervention.