Ireland Man jailed in Dublin for attempting to meet child for sexual exploitation
A child protection awareness group set up a social media profile posing as an 11-year-old girl, and the chat became sexually explicit when Paul Lynch, 56, sent a photograph of his genitals. Lynch, formerly of Artane, Dublin, and originally from Derry, told the court he was meeting the girl to give her a phone. The group livestreamed the confrontation on Facebook before gardaí arrived and found him surrounded by a crowd. He pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child for the purposes of sexual exploitation, and in May 2024 Judge Orla Crowe at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to two years and three months, backdated to February when he was first taken into custody in Northern Ireland.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted16 May
- Sentenced15 May
2 reports
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A child protection awareness group set up a social media profile posing as an 11-year-old girl, and the chat became sexually explicit when Lynch sent a photograph of his genitals.
- Where
- The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court; Lynch was formerly of Beauvale Park, Artane, Dublin, and originally from Derry.
- When
- Lynch was arrested in Northern Ireland earlier in 2024 and had been in custody since February; he was sentenced in May 2024.
- Cause
- Lynch told the court he was meeting the girl to give her a phone.
- Investigation
- The decoy group livestreamed the confrontation on Facebook before gardaí arrived and found Lynch surrounded by a crowd; the group gave gardaí printed messages and the decoy phone, and Lynch handed over his phones and passwords.
- Charges
- Lynch pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
- In court
- Judge Orla Crowe described the offence as the most serious kind; the defence said Lynch fully accepts his guilt.
- Sentence
- The judge set a headline sentence of three years and imposed two years and three months, backdated to February.
- Other details
- Lynch has a previous conviction from Northern Ireland in 2019 for sexual communication with a child, a conviction for breaching a sex offences prevention order, and seven older convictions relating to theft and fraud.
25 statements extracted from the articles
- whatLynch sent a photo of his genitals to the decoy. (thejournal.ie)
- whatPaul Lynch was jailed after the court heard he sent a picture of his genitals to the decoy. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLynch believed he was meeting an 11-year-old girl. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- whereLynch was formerly of Beauvale Park, Artane, Dublin, and originally from Derry. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe chat became sexually explicit and Lynch sent a photograph of his genitals. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe decoy group livestreamed to Facebook before confronting Lynch. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationThe group gave gardaí printed messages and the decoy phone used. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationLynch handed over his phones and passwords to gardaí. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationA child protection awareness group set up a social media profile posing as an 11-year-old girl. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe group livestreamed on Facebook before confronting Lynch. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí were contacted and found Lynch surrounded by a large crowd. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeLynch pleaded guilty to attempted meeting of a child for the purposes of sexual exploitation. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeLynch pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child for the purposes of sexual exploitation. (irishtimes.com)
- courtLynch told the court he was meeting the girl to give her a phone. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe court heard Lynch was arrested in Northern Ireland earlier in the year and had been in custody since February. (thejournal.ie)
- courtJudge Orla Crowe described the offence as the most serious kind. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA convicted sex offender thought he was meeting an 11-year-old girl. (extra.ie)
- sentenceThe judge said the case warranted a headline sentence of three years. (thejournal.ie, irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge imposed two years and three months, backdated to February. (thejournal.ie)
- sentenceJudge Crowe imposed a sentence of two years and three months after taking mitigation into account. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe judge described the offence as the most serious kind. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe defence said Lynch fully accepts his guilt. (thejournal.ie)
- otherLynch has a previous conviction from Northern Ireland in 2019 for sexual communication with a child. (irishtimes.com)
- otherLynch has been in custody since February. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 16 May2024Convicted sex offender thought he was meeting 11-year-old girl
Only the headline is usable; the body is a page template with no case details.
convicted, male - 15 May2024Convicted sex offender confronted by online safety group after expecting to meet girl (11)
Sentencing report: Judge Orla Crowe imposed two years and three months after taking mitigation into account from a headline sentence of three years. The article adds details of the online contact, the livestreamed confrontation, and Lynch's previous convictions.
convicted, Paul Lynch, 56, male, named, irish (judged from name)Paul Lynch - 15 May2024Man who believed he was meeting girl (11) but instead found adult 'decoy' livestreaming is jailed
Reports the sentence: judge Orla Crowe set a headline sentence of three years and imposed two years and three months, backdated to when Lynch first went into custody in February. Adds details of the decoy operation, the Facebook livestream, the garda investigation and the defence submissions.
convicted, Paul Lynch, 56, male, named, irish (judged from name)Paul Lynch