EVAN HARRIES FROM WEXFORD JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES

In a case that has shocked the community of Wexford, a man named Evan Harries, aged 44, has been sentenced to a total of three years in prison after being found guilty of possessing and producing a significant amount of child abuse images. The court proceedings took place at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court, where Harries appeared before Judge Barry Hickson to face the serious charges.

Harries, who resides at 5 Hantoon Road in the Maudlintown area of Wexford town, had already pleaded guilty to the charges prior to sentencing. The offences are believed to have occurred around November 2011, at his residence, where authorities uncovered disturbing evidence during a search conducted in response to intelligence gathered about his internet activity.

According to Det Garda Mary McCormack, law enforcement officials traced multiple addresses linked to Harries, ultimately leading to his home. On November 14, 2011, a search was carried out, during which officers discovered documents depicting children engaged in sexual acts, along with printed images of a similar nature. The investigation also involved seizing electronic devices, including a computer and a laptop, from which a hard drive was extracted for further analysis.

Examination of these devices revealed a disturbing collection of images and text files. Det Garda McCormack detailed that Harries was arrested on November 22, 2011, at which point he was taken to Wexford Garda Station and made full admissions regarding his activities.

Further testimony from Det Garda Cathal Delaney indicated that the laptop contained approximately 3,000 images of a child pornography nature, featuring children as young as three years old involved in sexual acts. Additionally, there were 101 text files related to child abuse. The hard drive contained around 4,500 images, along with 88 copies of related text material. The case was uncovered through proactive monitoring of internet activity, highlighting the importance of such surveillance in combating online child exploitation.

During the court hearing, Harries’s defense lawyer, Michael Delaney, described his client as suffering from serious emotional disorders. He emphasized that Harries, who has been in custody since his arrest, took responsibility for the material found in his home and cooperated fully with authorities. The lawyer also noted that Harries is originally from Wales and came from a difficult background, with no involvement from others in his household.

Judge Hickson described the offences as 'despicable and most serious' and handed down a sentence of two years for each of two counts of production, to run concurrently. For the possession charges, Harries received four years on each of five counts, also to run concurrently, with the last year of each sentence suspended. The sentence was backdated to November 22, 2011, the date of his arrest. The judge further ordered that upon completion of his sentence, Harries would be expelled from Ireland and barred from re-entering the country for a period of 25 years, underscoring the gravity of his crimes and the community’s need for protection.