DAVID SHARPE CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN BALBRIGGAN AND DUBLIN SHOP

In December 2012, a disturbing incident unfolded involving David Sharpe, a resident of Balbriggan, Dublin, that brought to light serious allegations of child exploitation. The incident occurred at an O2 store located in Scotch Hall, Drogheda, where Sharpe sought assistance with transferring images from his mobile device.

According to Garda Vincent Heaney, who testified during the case, Sharpe approached a shop assistant requesting help to move data between phones. During this process, the staff member noticed troubling images on Sharpe’s Nokia phone. One such image displayed a child, naked from the waist down, serving as the wallpaper on the device. Recognizing the potential severity of the situation, the staff member informed Sharpe that the phone needed to be retained for further investigation, and law enforcement authorities were promptly contacted.

Although Sharpe was allowed to leave with a second phone, it was later confiscated by the Gardaí. An examination of the devices revealed a total of 44 images that were highly disturbing. Of these, 27 depicted children aged between eight and 14 engaged in sexual acts, while the remaining 17 showed children in sexually suggestive poses. These findings confirmed the serious nature of the material stored on Sharpe’s devices.

During police interviews, Sharpe admitted that the images were indeed his. He claimed that he had downloaded them from a website featuring naturist content and young models. He further disclosed that he had been curious about child pornography for approximately two to three years but stated that he had ceased viewing such material six months prior to his arrest.

Sharpe, aged 53 and residing at Bremore Court, Balbriggan, faced charges in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the offence committed at the O2 store in Scotch Hall, Drogheda, on June 13, 2009.

Judge Martin Nolan, presiding over the case, expressed his view that a custodial sentence was not justified under the circumstances. Instead, he sentenced Sharpe to three years in prison, but this was fully suspended on strict conditions. Among these conditions was a requirement for Sharpe to remain under probation supervision for 18 months. The judge acknowledged that Sharpe had not distributed, purchased, or shared the images, and therefore, he had not actively supported the child pornography industry.

Defence counsel Cathal McGreal described Sharpe as not being “the brightest,” and the judge accepted that Sharpe’s actions appeared somewhat naive, which influenced the decision to suspend the sentence rather than impose immediate imprisonment.