Ireland Man sentenced to two years over child sexual abuse material on phone
Josh Fitzpatrick, a 26-year-old man with an address at Forgney, Moyvore, Co Westmeath, was arrested as a passenger during a suspected drugs seizure and handed over his mobile phone in Garda custody. The phone allegedly contained sexual abuse images and videos of children, including a nine-month-old baby, and the offence date given is 10 February 2023. He was charged with possessing 98 images and 55 videos of downloaded child pornography, pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, and was remanded in custody on 8 July. On 23 January 2026 it was reported that Judge Keenan Johnson had imposed a two-year sentence with the final 12 months suspended for five years, backdated to 8 July.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced23 Jan
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- He was jailed for having sexual abuse images and videos of children, including a nine-month-old baby, on his phone.
- The material showed children mainly aged two to 13 engaged in sexual acts and being abused by adults.
- The key facts also cite a further 45 images and 37 videos on the phone's memory card, in addition to the charged material.
- Where
- He has an address at Forgney, Moyvore, Co Westmeath.
- When
- The offence date given is 10 February 2023.
- Investigation
- He was arrested as a passenger in another car during a suspected drugs seizure.
- While in Garda custody, he handed over his mobile phone along with the pin to access its contents.
- Charges
- He was charged with possessing 98 images and 55 videos of downloaded child pornography.
- In court
- He pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Keenan Johnson passed sentence.
- Sentence
- He received a two-year sentence with the final 12 months suspended for five years, backdated to 8 July when he was remanded in custody.
- Other details
- A probation report found him to be at a moderate risk of reoffending.
- He had no previous convictions, and there was no evidence that he distributed the material.
- He was never charged with any drug offence.
- He twice paid for the material, totalling €50, and was aged 20 to 23 when he had the images and videos.
- He was in a stable relationship at the time of sentencing.
20 statements extracted from the articles
- whatHe was jailed for having sexual abuse images and videos of children, including a nine-month-old baby, on his phone. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThere were a further 45 images and 37 videos on the phone's memory card. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe material showed children mainly aged two to 13 engaged in sexual acts and being abused by adults. (irishtimes.com)
- whereHe has an address at Forgney, Moyvore, Co Westmeath. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe offence date was 10 February 2023. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationHe was arrested as a passenger in another car during a suspected drugs seizure. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationWhile in Garda custody, he handed over his mobile phone along with the pin to access its contents. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeHe was charged with possessing 98 images and 55 videos of downloaded child pornography. (irishtimes.com)
- courtHe pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Keenan Johnson passed sentence. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge imposed a two-year sentence, suspending the final 12 months for five years. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentence was backdated to 8 July when he was remanded in custody. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA probation report found him to be at a moderate risk of reoffending. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe had no previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe was in a stable relationship at the time of sentencing. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe was aged 20 to 23 when he had the images and videos. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThere was no evidence of distribution of the material. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe was never charged with any drug offence. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe had twice paid for the material, totalling €50. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThere was no allegation that he distributed the pictures or footage. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 23 Jan2026Man sentenced to two years over child sex-abuse material on phone
Sentencing report: Fitzpatrick received a two-year custodial sentence with the final 12 months suspended for five years, backdated to 8 July when he was remanded. He was originally arrested as a passenger during a drugs seizure and handed over his phone in custody, revealing 98 images and 55 videos of children aged nine months to 13.
convicted, Josh Fitzpatrick, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Josh Fitzpatrick