Judge tells man who had child pornography at his Limerick home ‘it’s not a victimless crime’
A MAN who has admitted possession of child pornography (legal term) at his County Limerick home, will be sentenced next month.
When arraigned at Limerick Circuit Court, Mariusz Karasiewicz, aged 36, who has an address at Templegreen, Newcastle West pleaded guilty to a single charge relating to an offence which occurred more than five years ago.
The charge, before the court, has been brought under the provisions of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 and relates to the discovery of four images on an electronic device in the defendant’s home on October 10, 2016.
No evidence was given during the procedural hearing.
After his client formally pleaded guilty, barrister Kenneth Kerins said his client has an unblemished record and that the incident was a “minor aberration”.
Mr Kerins, who was instructed by solicitor Michael O’Donnell, asked the court to note the case relates to a small number of images which, he submitted, were on the lower end of the scale.
Lily Buckley BL, prosecuting, accepted this and she confirmed the Director of Public Prosecutions had originally consented to the matter being dealt with in the district court.
However, she said, the presiding judge had refused jurisdiction which is why it is now before the circuit court where harsher penalties can be imposed.
Having noted Mr Karasiewicz’s cooperation and guilty plea, Judge Patrick Meghen granted an application to extend legal aid to facilitate the preparation of a psychological report which, Mr Kerins said, would be of assistance to the court.
The judge refused a defence application to impose reporting restrictions after Ms Buckley confirmed that no victim had been named or identified in the images.
“It’s not a victimless crime,” he commented.
As a consequence of his guilty plea Mr Karasiewicz’s name has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register, with the duration to be confirmed following the sentencing hearing.