A former GP has been given a suspended sentence after being convicted of distributing and possessing sexually explicit sexual images of children.
51-year-old Ronan Keogan, of College Square in Terenure, had pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly distributing child pornography in March 2017 and to one count of possessing three images of child pornography in May of the same year.
Judge Patricia Ryan handed down a one-year sentence today but suspended it for one year saying the offences were at the lower end of the scale.
Keogan was also placed on the sex offenders register.
The charges relate to a text conversation between Keogan and a woman and to three photographs of two underage girls which appear to have been taken by the girls themselves.
On 27 March 2017, a woman made a report to gardaí about her interactions with Ronan Keogan who was then a GP in Terenure.
She had met him on a website for people who want to have affairs.
In their text messages they discussed her dressing up as a school girl and Keogan sent her photographs of a girl he said was 15, one of which the court heard constituted child pornography under the legislation.
The court heard she asked him "what is the lowest you would go?" and he replied, "15, I think" and told her the girl did not mind him showing her photograph.
When gardaí searched his medical clinic and home, he handed over a phone on which they found 10,000 pornographic images from more than 380 women.
Of these, three were of a child pornography nature involving two girls.
All three photographs appeared to have been taken by the girls themselves with no one else present.
Garda interviews
During garda interviews he said he would never knowingly engage in sexual activity with someone not capable of granting lawful consent or knowingly possess photographs of girls under the age of consent.
Defence counsel, Lorcan Staines said Keogan's behaviour had ultimately cost him everything.
Mr Staines said Keogan was living a very different life to his outward persona.
His marriage was broken and he was suffering from stress and was engaging in highly risky sexualised behaviour as a form of escapism.
The court heard Keogan will be struck off the medical register and is now divorced.
Passing sentence today Judge Patricia Ryan said: "There is nothing in the prosecution case that he abused his position as a general practitioner."
She said the court has to mark the seriousness of the offence and take into account the personal circumstances.
She said the number of images was small, in that there were three, and the level was low adding that the photos were selfies.
Judge Ryan said she must take into account the effect on his profession, his income and standing in the community along with the effect on his family.
She imposed a one-year sentence but suspended it for one year with him entering a bond for good behaviour.
