Ireland Crime

Named as

Convicted

Born

Between May 1984 and March 1985, from the ages reported

Offences

Communicating with a person with the intention to facilitate sexual exploitation of a child, Attempting to send sexually explicit material to a child

Where

Co. Dublin

Reporting

5 reports, 1 Mar 2026 to 21 May 2026

Outlets

gript.ie, rte.ie, irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com, thejournal.ie

Photographs

as published, with the outlet's credit

Images are shown from the outlet that published them and link back to the article. Copyright stays with the credited photographer or agency.

• Michael Macken, 41, remanded after guilty plea over Facebook child exploitation sting Communicating with a person with the intention to facilitate sexual exploitation of a child · Co. Dublin

  In August 2024 a self-appointed Northern Ireland-based group, Child Online Protection Enforcers NI, caught Michael Macken, a 41-year-old man, in sexualised conversations on Facebook and WhatsApp with people he believed were nine teenage girls aged between 11 and 14; the accounts were run by adults posing as children. On 20 August 2024 about 20 members of the group went to his parents' home in Coolock, Dublin, and some of them took him to a garda station. Macken was charged, and on 21 February 2025 he was arrested on the charge and did not apply for bail. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sample counts, Judge Orla Crowe adjourned sentencing to 14 May 2026 and remanded him in custody, and in May 2026 he was sentenced to eight years in prison with the last six months suspended, though one report gave the term as seven and a half years.

  Sentenced, 20 May 2026Convicted · 5 reports

Each entry shows how that report described them.

1. 21 May2026
   Sentencedgript.ie, in Michael Macken, 41, remanded after guilty plea over Facebook child exploitation sting

   Sex offender rumbled by online vigilante group jailed - Gript

   convicted, Michael Macken, 41, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Macken♂41IE
2. 20 May2026
   Sentencedrte.ie, in Michael Macken, 41, remanded after guilty plea over Facebook child exploitation sting

   Man caught in sting operation by vigilante group jailed

   convicted, Michael Macken, 41, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Macken♂41IE
3. 3 Mar2026
   In courtirishmirror.ie, in Michael Macken, 41, remanded after guilty plea over Facebook child exploitation sting

   Vigilantes bundled convicted sex offender into car after sting operation

   convicted, Michael Macken, 41, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Macken♂41IE
4. 2 Mar2026
   In courtirishtimes.com, in Michael Macken, 41, remanded after guilty plea over Facebook child exploitation sting

   Man targeted by vigilantes had ‘sexualised conversations’ with what he believed were underage girls

   convicted, Michael Macken, 41, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Macken♂41IE
5. 1 Mar2026
   Convictedthejournal.ie, in Michael Macken, 41, remanded after guilty plea over Facebook child exploitation sting

   Vigilante group brought convicted sex offender to garda station after sting operation, court hears

   convicted, Michael Macken, 41, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Macken♂41IE

Matched on the name as printed, ignoring quoted nicknames, and split by the ages reported. Two people who share a name and age would appear together here.