Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 6266Sexual exploitation of a child (online); sending explicit material; offensive conduct of a sexual nature · Co. Clare

Man jailed over online sexual communications with decoys posing as 14-year-old girls

Patrick McInerney, 40, of Kilkishen, Co Clare, pleaded guilty to using information technology to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child and related offences. The judge sentenced him to three years in prison with the final 18 months suspended.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced19 Mar
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
17 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatMcInerney completed three video calls with the second decoy, two of them through Facebook. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe second decoy had been set up as a profile of a 14-year-old girl on Facebook. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMcInerney also contacted a woman selling puppies online and sent her explicit images. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereMcInerney, 40, lives on Main Street, Kilkishen, Co Clare. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe offences were committed on dates in February 2023. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenHe made contact with the second decoy on 27 February 2023. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationGardaí were contacted by a group set up in the United Kingdom that creates decoys to catch people communicating with children. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationGardaí were told McInerney had been communicating with two people he believed were 14-year-old girls. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationMcInerney was arrested the day of the planned meeting and his phone was seized and analysed. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeMcInerney pleaded guilty to using information technology to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child, sending explicit material and engaging in offensive conduct of a sexual nature. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtDefence accepted that McInerney made full admissions and gave gardaí his passwords and nicknames. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtA Probation Service report indicated a willingness to work with McInerney. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe judge said McInerney had responded to decoys when it was apparent they were very young. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe judge accepted there was good mitigation and hope for rehabilitation, but said McInerney deserves to go to prison. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceThe judge sentenced McInerney to three years in prison with the final 18 months suspended on strict conditions. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe woman selling puppies never complained to gardaí; the offence was found when gardaí analysed McInerney's phone. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe article's opening line says he was jailed for 18 months. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 19 Mar2024
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    Man who engaged in sexually obscene video calls with someone he believed was a girl (14) is jailed

    The article's opening line says he was jailed for 18 months, but the body reports a three-year sentence with the final 18 months suspended. No existing case matches this article.

    convicted, Patrick McInerney, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Patrick McInerney