Former Mayo resident gets suspended jail terms for possession and distribution of child pornography

A 76-year-old former resident of Clare Island has been given suspended prison terms today for the possession and distribution of child pornography.

James Woods, formerly of Cappanagower, The Harbour, Clare Island, and now resident in Northern Ireland, had hundreds of images and movie clips showing graphic images of child pornography when gardai visited his home.

Judge Rory McCabe, who viewed the images and film material at a previous sitting of Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, said they were at the upper end of the spectrum as regards seriousness.

The accused, who pleaded guilty to the possession and distribution of child pornography, appeared before Judge MacCabe today for sentencing.

Before passing sentence, the judge commented that the crime involved was not victimless - those involved in the generation of such offensive material are themselves victims.

He sentenced Woods to two years in prison on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently.

At a previous hearing, Diarmuid Connolly, counsel for the defendant, said his client had suffered a spectacular fall from grace in his local community and was now exiled not just from Clare Island but from Mayo.