June 2011 Dad-of-two jailed for child abuse images A FATHER-of-two caught with cartoon images of child abuse has been caged for a year. Gerard Sheridan, 46, who got a two-year suspended term in 2005 for a similar rap, told cops he “goes into the porno world where it becomes an escape”. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard 24 of the 27 child abuse pics were virtual images — a form of Japanese animation known as ‘hentai’. Sheridan, of Clonsilla, Dublin, told gardai he “wants to be able to have a normal sexual relationship” with his wife. But he admitted: “I feel like a child physically and sexually.” He pleaded guilty to possession of child abuse images at his home on October 18, 2009. Judge Petria McDonnell said she had to impose a jail term because of Sheridan’s previous conviction. She accepted the offence was “on the lower end of the scale” — but she added that such crimes “cannot be underestimated”. The judge also noted Sheridan’s probation report showed he has a lack of victim empathy. She recommended he be sent to Arbour Hill Prison to undergo a sex offender’s treatment regime. Sheridan was sentenced to two years, with 12 months suspended.