MICHAL WOJCIK FROM CO. DUBLIN SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN SWORDS
| Red Rose Database
Co. Dublin Sexual Abuser
In June 2019, a man from Co. Dublin, Michal Wojciak, aged 36, was sentenced in connection with possessing a significant amount of child abuse material. The case, which dates back to September 19, 2012, involved Wojciak being found in possession of over 4,000 images and videos depicting child pornography. The discovery was made at his former residence in Sandyford, a suburb of Dublin, after authorities initiated an investigation into his activities.
Wojciak, who had no prior criminal record, appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to enter a guilty plea, which was supported by a signed statement from the District Court. His admission acknowledged possession of the illicit material, which included explicit images and videos involving pre-teen and teenage girls engaged in sexual acts, some with adults and others exposing their genitals. The investigation revealed that Wojciak used laptops and external hard drives to download and store these files, which he later transferred between devices.
During the initial investigation, Gardaí (police officers) identified Wojciak’s address through peer-to-peer file sharing monitoring, which flagged the downloading of numerous inappropriate images. A subsequent search of his apartment resulted in the seizure of two laptops, two external hard drives, and a CD. These items were not forensically examined until August 2016, nearly four years later, when authorities uncovered 681 videos and 3,873 images of child pornography. Gardaí confirmed that Wojciak had made full admissions regarding his possession of the material, although he initially denied actively seeking out such content.
Detective Garda Suzanne Carlos provided details of the case during a court hearing, explaining that Wojciak’s laptops were used to download the illicit files, which he then transferred to external storage devices. She clarified that Wojciak had not shared or emailed any of the images or videos, and the delay in forensic analysis was attributed to resource constraints within the Garda unit at the time. When the case was taken over in late 2017, Wojciak voluntarily attended a Garda station in January 2018, where he cooperated fully with investigators. Gardaí noted that he treated officers respectfully and was forthcoming with information.
Throughout the proceedings, Wojciak expressed remorse for his actions, stating, “a lot of stuff happened in the last five years… I regret what I did, what I did was wrong and I have to take the consequences.” Gardaí also confirmed that Tusla, the child and family agency, became involved after it was learned that Wojciak had a child. However, Gardaí assured the court that there had been no concerns raised about his relationship with his child or other children, indicating that no issues had been identified by Tusla.
His legal representative, Vincent Heneghan SC, acknowledged the severity of the offense, describing it as “horrible” and emphasizing Wojciak’s remorse. Heneghan argued that Wojciak was not considered a threat to children or his own child, as no concerns had been raised by Tusla. The defense also highlighted that Wojciak lost his employment in 2018 as a consequence of this case.
Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced Wojciak to two years in prison, but the sentence was fully suspended in light of mitigating factors such as his cooperation, remorse, and the administrative delays in processing the case. The judge ordered Wojciak to maintain good behavior for two years, remain under the supervision of Probation Services, and continue participating in a sex offenders’ treatment program. Additionally, Wojciak was prohibited from having any contact, direct or indirect, with any child under 18 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. The court emphasized the importance of ongoing compliance with these conditions to ensure community safety.
Wojciak, who had no prior criminal record, appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to enter a guilty plea, which was supported by a signed statement from the District Court. His admission acknowledged possession of the illicit material, which included explicit images and videos involving pre-teen and teenage girls engaged in sexual acts, some with adults and others exposing their genitals. The investigation revealed that Wojciak used laptops and external hard drives to download and store these files, which he later transferred between devices.
During the initial investigation, Gardaí (police officers) identified Wojciak’s address through peer-to-peer file sharing monitoring, which flagged the downloading of numerous inappropriate images. A subsequent search of his apartment resulted in the seizure of two laptops, two external hard drives, and a CD. These items were not forensically examined until August 2016, nearly four years later, when authorities uncovered 681 videos and 3,873 images of child pornography. Gardaí confirmed that Wojciak had made full admissions regarding his possession of the material, although he initially denied actively seeking out such content.
Detective Garda Suzanne Carlos provided details of the case during a court hearing, explaining that Wojciak’s laptops were used to download the illicit files, which he then transferred to external storage devices. She clarified that Wojciak had not shared or emailed any of the images or videos, and the delay in forensic analysis was attributed to resource constraints within the Garda unit at the time. When the case was taken over in late 2017, Wojciak voluntarily attended a Garda station in January 2018, where he cooperated fully with investigators. Gardaí noted that he treated officers respectfully and was forthcoming with information.
Throughout the proceedings, Wojciak expressed remorse for his actions, stating, “a lot of stuff happened in the last five years… I regret what I did, what I did was wrong and I have to take the consequences.” Gardaí also confirmed that Tusla, the child and family agency, became involved after it was learned that Wojciak had a child. However, Gardaí assured the court that there had been no concerns raised about his relationship with his child or other children, indicating that no issues had been identified by Tusla.
His legal representative, Vincent Heneghan SC, acknowledged the severity of the offense, describing it as “horrible” and emphasizing Wojciak’s remorse. Heneghan argued that Wojciak was not considered a threat to children or his own child, as no concerns had been raised by Tusla. The defense also highlighted that Wojciak lost his employment in 2018 as a consequence of this case.
Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced Wojciak to two years in prison, but the sentence was fully suspended in light of mitigating factors such as his cooperation, remorse, and the administrative delays in processing the case. The judge ordered Wojciak to maintain good behavior for two years, remain under the supervision of Probation Services, and continue participating in a sex offenders’ treatment program. Additionally, Wojciak was prohibited from having any contact, direct or indirect, with any child under 18 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. The court emphasized the importance of ongoing compliance with these conditions to ensure community safety.