A Donegal man has pleaded guilty to possessing over 300 items depicting child sex material.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court where he tendered a guilty plea.
Aged in his 30s and from the east of the county, the man was formally arraigned before Judge John Aylmer.
He is charged that he did, at his home address, on a date in June 2022, knowingly have in his possession child pornography to wit, 243 images and 78 videos on an Acer Aspire laptop.
The charge is contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998.
The defendant spoke only to plead guilty.
He is represented by Mr Colm Smyth SC and Mr Timothy Morrow BL, instructed by solicitor Mr Frank Dorrian.
Mr Smyth requested that legal aid be extended to cover a psychologist’s report.
John Aylmer granted the request and ordered a probation and welfare report, to include the man’s suitability for community service.
When the man appeared before Letterkenny District Court in December, a temporary reporting restriction, meaning that he cannot be identified in the media, was granted following a request from his solicitor.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said that this is ‘not a case where a publication order naturally follows’.
Judge John Aylmer remanded the accused man on bail on the same terms and conditions with the matter adjourned until later in the year.