Sentencing Policy
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Ken O'Flynn (II), Cork North-Central

I thank the Minister for the reply but I am asking whether the Department has carried out a full assessment of this. We can all call a spade a spade. Not a month has gone by where we have not read an article in a newspaper regarding suspended sentences for first-time offenders or those who have been caught for the first time when it comes to child sexual abuse images and online images.
Certainly, it upsets a number of people in my constituency and Members in this House as well when we see people with large volumes of vile images being used and circulated, and walking away with a suspended sentences.
I appreciate there is a precedent with the Loving case. We all are aware of that in this House. What I am getting at is whether the Minister is prepared to introduce legislation to circumvent this because District Court judges are saying they are stuck because of the precedent with the Loving case. I also appreciate that for a second-time offender, who has received a suspended sentence, that under the 1998 Act, all judges provide very stiff sentence.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19