A 46-year-old man from the Ballymena area was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court today, Wednesday 7th December, for making and distributing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images of children.
Donald Donnelly will serve 6 months in prison and 1 year 8 months on license. He will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and will be subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for 5 years.
Detective Inspector Richard Vasey from The Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Child Internet Protection Team said:
“A number of digital devices were seized following a search of Mr Donnelly’s property, resulting in Mr Donnelly being arrested and later charged for child abuse related offences.
“We have specialist detectives who are dedicated to investigating these types of crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and protecting further vulnerable young people from unimaginable suffering.
“Behind each of these horrific images is a real child. Every time someone like Mr Donnelly accesses indecent images of children, they are prolonging the suffering of children.
“We would urge anyone who has suspicions that anyone they know or live with is engaging in this type of criminal activity to contact 101 or 999 in case of emergency.”