BY OLIVIA KELLEHER
A 29-YEAR-old Ballinhassig man who convinced young girls from the UK to pose for explicit videos and images has been jailed for a year.
Adam Palmer, of Ballyhooleen, Ballinhassig, appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court having pleaded guilty to possession of child abuse images and using computer information technology for the purpose of sexual exploitation. He was between 24 and 25 at the time of the offences.
Det Garda Fintan Sleator of the West Cork Protective Services Unit said that the offences came to light in 2020 when a mother in the UK found that her 14-year-old daughter had received payments from Mr Palmer via Snapchat.
In exchange the young girl had sent sexually explicit pictures of herself to Mr Palmer. She was termed ‘Juvenile A’ in the court.
Det Garda Sleator said that the investigation unearthed several possible victims.
Juvenile B, a 15-year-old, said she told the accused that she was 15 and he offered her money through PayPal. He suggested meeting her in a London hotel room because, he told her, the hotel’s owners would think it strange for him to arrive with someone so young.
The court heard that she sent him eight images and 31 videos and he paid her over £1,000.
Juvenile C was 16 years old and Adam Palmer asked her to confirm she was 16. He asked her for images of herself doing something explicit. She said he acted like a director.
‘He would dictate everything I would do in the video,’ she had said. She sent him eight images and five videos and he paid her £245.
Police in the UK launched an investigation and traced the relevant Paypal account to Palmer, a retail worker. They then contacted gardaí in Cork.
Det Garda Sleator said that Mr Palmer made certain admissions when gardaí searched his house under warrant. They established he had obtained 93 images and 90 videos via Snapchat.
Of this material, 23 of the images and 80 of the videos were deemed ‘Category 1’ images – the most serious category – depicting children engaging in sexual acts.
Searches of Palmer’s computer uncovered a file entitled ‘For My Eyes Only’ which detailed how pictures could be encrypted on a phone and retrieved only with a user password. Defence senior counsel Jane Hyland SC said her client’s signed pleas of guilty had spared his victims the trauma of having to give evidence.
Ms Hyland that Mr Palmer had been treated by psychotherapist Dr Nicholas Banks.
‘He (Palmer) is extremely remorseful in relation to his conduct. He has done extensive work with the probation service on understanding the nature of his offending.
‘He presents as a sensitive and respectable young man,’ the barrister said of her client.
She said that Mr Palmer withdrew from college and was working anti-social hours. ‘His opportunity to interact with his peers was curtailed. He split up with his girlfriend. He was chatting to peer-aged women online but unfortunately some of them turned out to be underage,’ she added.
She said that he began to exchange videos and images but never had any intention of meeting any of the girls.
‘Mr Palmer has undertaken numerous psychotherapy sessions with Dr Banks and is deemed at a low risk of reoffending. He has not come to garda attention since his arrest,’ she added.
Judge Colin Daly noted the defendant had saved the victims from having to give evidence by pleading guilty. He also noted the steps taken towards rehabilitation.
However, Judge Daly said that it was important to incorporate a ‘genuine deterrence principle’ into the sentence. He jailed Mr Palmer for two years, suspending the last year.
Free legal aid was granted in the event of an appeal being lodged.
