Man found with over 10,000 images of child sexual abuse material avoids jail

A man has been given a suspended sentence after he was found with over 10,000 images of child sexual abuse material, of which 30 were described as being in the most serious, sexually explicit category.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Piotr Grycuk, 45, has not reoffended since Gardaí raided his rented flat six years ago and is deemed to be at low risk of re-offending. Grycuk self-referred for therapy prior to arrest, has attended over 200 psychotherapy sessions, and is not attracted to children, the court heard.

Grycuk, of Raglan Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possessing 10,347 images and three videos of child pornography at his home on July 23, 2018. In a ruling on Wednesday, Judge Martin Nolan said that Grycuk has demonstrated insight and remorse into his offending and that it would be unjust to imprison him.

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Judge Nolan said the offence of possessing child sexual abuse material properly incurs “public odium and shame” and noted that Grycuk will suffer considerably in this regard. The judge said there has been no repeat offending, that Grycuk has taken steps to change himself by attending a therapist and psychologist and that there is a “reasonable prospect” that he will not reoffend.

Grycuk was given a three-year sentence, suspended in full, and ordered to undergo supervision by the Probation Services for 18 months.

Sergeant Eugene McCarthy told Antonia Boyle BL, prosecuting, that Gardaí were alerted to the case by law enforcement authorities in America, who provided an IP address. The court heard that Gardaí had to force entry to Grycuk’s flat as he was not present when they arrived to search the premises shortly after 7am on the date in question.

Gardaí found seven devices including a laptop, four external hard drives, a laptop drive and a Samsung drive, which tested positive for child sexual abuse material. Grycuk, a Polish national who has been in Ireland since 2006, contacted Gardaí when he arrived home a few hours later and handed over two memory SD cards and two memory sticks.

He told Gardaí they would find child sexual abuse images and videos on the devices and explained that he had an addiction to pornography and had downloaded material from the dark web. Grycuk gave Gardaí the password for his laptop and attended a Garda station by appointment.

A report compiled by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau said the vast majority of the 10,000 images were described as being in Category 2, depicting children being exposed. 30 of the images were analysed as being in Category 1, depicting children engaged in, or witnessing, explicit sexual activity. One of the three videos was Category 1, while the other two were Category 2.

Counsel for the State said some of the children depicted were aged between five and seven, while others were infants. Grycuk made fulsome admissions and said he regretted possessing the material and was attending therapy for pornography addiction. He has no previous convictions in Ireland or any other jurisdiction.

Sergeant McCarthy agreed with counsel for the defence that Grycuk had not come to Garda attention since this offence and that there was no suggestion that he had shared or distributed any images. The court heard Grycuk has worked in security since he arrived in Ireland.

A psychologist’s report said Grycuk had a level of insight, remorse and emotional awareness into his behaviour and was committed to his own rehabilitation. A letter was handed in from Grycuk’s former partner, while a doctor’s report described him as being at low risk of reoffending.

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