Sex offender lets gardaí access his Tinder info

A CONVICTED sex offender, who is alleged to have gone on Tinder under a different name, has given gardaí written  authorisation to allow them access any information that the dating app may have on him.

Ian Horgan (37) formerly of The Hermitage in Macroom but now with an address of 53 Byrne Avenue, Prospect,  Co Limerick, appeared at Macroom District Court last week.

Mr Horgan is contesting the alleged breach of the Sex Offenders Act by going on Tinder using the name ‘Cian’ on dates in May of this year. It is claimed that he failed to notify gardaí that he was using a name which had not been previously notified to them.

Solicitor Sean Cahill said his client was co-operating and claims that when Mr Horgan was registering on Tinder, he was doing so on his mobile phone, and that either predictive text or a ‘glitch’ registered his client in a wrong name.

Mr Cahill said it was not his client’s intention to use a different name and added that legal aid, which was previously granted, would not cover the IT expert that would be required to help him maintain that defence in court.

Insp Dave Callaghan said that the State was not in a position to contest that element, but wanted to focus on the fact that the only part of the profile seen by the public included a photograph, verified by a blue tick, and one name, Cian.

‘The profile name is the one that appears for the public to see,’ said Insp Callaghan.

The court heard the phone that was used to access the site is not available and Insp Callaghan noted that the process to access information from Tinder can be slow. Mr Horgan signed an authorisation to the chief executive of Tinder allowing him to furnish all information about his application to the Supt in Macroom.

Judge James McNulty adjourned the matter until October 20th and remanded him on bail with detailed conditions. Horgan was convicted in 2002 for the rape and manslaughter of 22-year-old beautician Rachel Kiely in a park in Ballincollig in 2000.