Young man who used recording of offences as blackmail jailed for four years, three months

By Fiona Ferguson

A young man who repeatedly defiled a girl and used a recording of one of the offences to blackmail her has been jailed for four years and three months.

The Central Criminal Court heard that he threatened to circulate the video unless the girl met him again. He later shared it with others, causing her great distress.

Both parties were aged approximately 13 when the offending started.

The now 21-year-old man pleaded guilty to three counts of defilement of a child under the age of 15 on dates between 2018 and 2020. That carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He pleaded guilty to a further count of defilement of a child under the age of 17 on a date in 2021. That carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

Passing sentence on Monday, Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo noted the aggravating factors included the seriousness of the offending and the impact on the injured party.

He described the offences as a protracted campaign of blackmail and coercion.

Mr Justice Naidoo took into account that the defendant was a child at the time of the offences.

The judge said he had two psychologists reports before him, observing the accused had a diagnosis of ADHD, which may have impacted his cognitive processing. He said that was not a mental illness but a factor impacting culpability.

He set a headline sentence of six years and nine months’ imprisonment.

Mr Justice Naidoo took into account the accused man’s guilty plea and expressions of remorse, including a letter of apology.

He noted a probation report outlined the man expressed remorse and disgust, but also observed the defendant claimed to have poor recollection, gave contradictory accounts and had limited insight into the effect on the young woman. He said that undermined the remorse claim to some degree.

He also considered the accused man’s current personal circumstances, a letter from his mother and the personal challenges he has faced in life. He noted mental health issues outlined in the reports.

Mr Justice Naidoo imposed a sentence of four years and nine months, suspending the final six months for one year on strict conditions.

An investigating garda told Anne Marie Lawlor, SC, prosecuting, that the first offences involved acts against the young girl by the accused on one evening in 2018.

The girl said they were kissing and she pushed back but he would not listen. She was unable to move as he was stronger. She said she asked the boy to stop and she cried throughout.

The garda said the third offence happened while the girl was intoxicated. The boy used his phone to record the act and the girl’s face.

The court heard he used the recording to blackmail her into meeting again and threatened to disseminate it if she did not comply. The video was later sent to others.

She agreed to meet him again after threats were made to her about family members. She was 15 years old at that time. She said she was terrified, did not want to have sex and said it was aggressive and painful.

The accused then sent her aggressive messages after he believed she had reported him to gardaí. He was arrested and interviewed in 2023, telling gardaí they had been going out together and that the acts had been consensual.

In her victim impact statement, the young woman described the devastating effect the offences have had on her. She said she did not think the effects of what the accused had done will ever go away.

She said she had not consented to any of it and told the court: “It felt like the end of my life.”

Defence counsel told the court the accused man was sorry for the offences. She said the matter has been “hanging over him”, that he suffers with low mood and is on medication.

She handed in psychological reports outlining the accused man’s challenges, as well as his family and developmental history.

She asked the court to take into account his age at the time of the offences and the absence of any age disparity between the parties.