A former Tusla worker jailed on Friday over a huge child porn stash said he was viewing it as part of his job.
Denis O’Donovan admitted having 2,350 sickening images and 14 videos on his computer.
But when he was caught he initially claimed he was researching child porn.
At Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Sean O Donnabhain described the images as “vile”, adding they had been in his possession for a long time. O’Donovan, who was jailed for a year, later admitted possessing child porn at his home at Forest Ridge, Togher, Cork, on March 9, 2017.
The father of one worked as a social worker for Tusla for more than 10 years and was in regular contact with young children.
Det Garda David Noonan said 232 images and the 14 videos were in the most serious category.
He previously told the court gardai were alerted by child protection agencies in Canada who directed them to O’Donovan’s home.
Officers found the child porn after they seized his computer.
The judge said the accused’s initial lie about accessing the images for work was out of “panic in being outed.”
He added O’Donovan did not did not distribute the images and had undergone treatment.
In a statement after the ruling, Tusla said it took immediate action once notified of the seizure of the perv’s computer.
It added: “However, the agency does not have control of the unknown actions or behaviours of its employees.”
