FORMER CHILDCARE WORKER CLAIMS HE 'DOWNLOADED CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES BY MISTAKE' AND FACES SUSPENDED SENTENCE
A former creche worker named Ray Corbally, aged 31, was convicted and given a suspended sentence for possessing 16 images of child sexual abuse, 12 of which are classified as the most serious Category A.He was sentenced to 18 months in jail suspended for two years in Wicklow District Court, after being caught with these images on a Packard Bell laptop.
Corbally claims that he 'downloaded them by mistake' after clicking a link sent to him in a group chat on social messaging app Kik, which he joined due to feelings of loneliness.
He states, 'I was in a group chat.
My dad died five years ago and at the time I didn't have any friends to turn to.
I went into a deep depression and so I went into an app to make friends, basically.' He explained that he thought the link was harmless, but upon seeing the content, he panicked and immediately deleted the files and the app, but police later recovered his electronics.
Corbally insists he is not a pedophile and regrets not reporting what he saw to authorities, stating, 'I should have reported it to the gardai but I just panicked and deleted it.' Despite his claims, he was convicted in court and is now reportedly in hiding due to threats and the public backlash.
He previously worked as a deputy manager at Links Childcare in Dublin but moved locations shortly before his arrest.
His life has been significantly impacted following his conviction, and he is afraid to leave his home, fearing for his safety and that of his family.
