GREGORY FEWER FROM WATERFORD RELEASED AFTER SERVING NINE MONTHS FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

In December 2020, Gregory Fewer, a former academic associated with Waterford Institute of Technology, was released from Midlands Prison after serving a brief nine-month sentence related to charges of possessing child sexual abuse images. His release marked a significant moment in a case that had garnered considerable attention due to the nature of his crimes and his previous involvement with online child exploitation forums.

Fewer, aged 51, was confronted by a journalist outside the Midlands Prison shortly after his release. During the interview, he openly acknowledged his ongoing efforts to address his issues, revealing that he has been receiving treatment for paedophilia since the initial police raids on his residence and workplace nearly a decade earlier. He clarified that he was not the creator of the now-defunct website 'boylover.net,' but admitted to being listed as an administrator of the platform.

He explained, "I didn’t actually run the website but, anyway, I know I was down [as an administrator]," and added, "I did get treatment. I was getting counselling on the outside for a number of years before I was prosecuted. That started in 2011 so, in all, I’ve had nine years of counselling. I’ve been working at it." Fewer expressed a desire to move forward with his life, stating, "I just want to get on with my life now and get back to normality," when asked about his future plans and whether he intended to return to his previous role as a lecturer.

When questioned about his acknowledgment of the harm caused by the images he possessed, Fewer responded affirmatively, saying, "Yes … I do accept that." He also confirmed that he handed over passwords for his email accounts and websites following his arrest, which led to the discovery of numerous images depicting child abuse. These images were classified in the most severe categories, indicating the explicit and disturbing nature of the content.

Fewer’s criminal case was initiated in 2018, after authorities uncovered the extent of his involvement through the examination of seized hard drives from his home in Corballymore, Dunmore East, Waterford, and his office at Waterford Institute of Technology. The investigation revealed that he possessed 27 images of child pornography and a written story involving sexual acts between two 13-year-old boys. His initial sentence was two and a half years in prison, but it was subsequently reduced to one year due to his cooperation with law enforcement and his ongoing engagement with counselling services. An additional 25 percent reduction was granted as part of standard remission.

Fewer’s case was part of a broader international crackdown on online child exploitation, known as Operation Rescue, which began in 2011. This extensive operation involved law enforcement agencies from multiple countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, and the United States, working together to dismantle a global network of paedophiles. The investigation focused on the online forum 'boylover.net,' which operated from a server based in the Netherlands and at its peak boasted approximately 70,000 members worldwide. The website was designed as a discussion platform where users could share their sexual interests in young boys without immediately engaging in illegal activities, thus operating under the radar of police detection.

However, some members transitioned from the forum to private channels such as email to exchange illegal images and videos depicting child abuse. Law enforcement agencies, including UK and Australian covert internet teams, infiltrated the site to identify high-risk offenders. The investigation uncovered a vast quantity of child abuse images and videos stored on seized computers, including those belonging to Fewer. The authorities traced the server hosting 'boylover.net' to the Netherlands, where Europol played a key role in analyzing and reconstructing the forum offline. This effort resulted in the distribution of over 4,200 intelligence reports across 25 EU member states and eight other countries.

Fewer, who used the alias 'rawspank' on the site, was identified among those involved through Europol’s findings. His case underscores the ongoing international efforts to combat online child exploitation and highlights the serious legal consequences faced by individuals involved in such heinous activities.