This article contains graphic references to sexual acts involving children. Reader discretion is advised.
By Sonya McLean
A convicted sex offender who allegedly exposed himself on a train enroute to a therapeutic session while he was on a suspended sentence has had his bail revoked and remanded in custody.
Patrick McInerney (42) was sentenced to three years with the final 18 months suspended in March 2024 after he was caught engaging in sexually obscene video calls with what he believed were underage girls.
McInerney of Main Street, Kilkishen, Co Clare, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to using information technology to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child, sending explicit material and engaging in offensive conduct of a sexual nature on dates in February 2023.
McInerney had been caught by a UK vigilante group which had created decoys on social media in an attempt to catch paedophiles. McInerney had been in communication with two people, who he believed were 14-year-old girls, sending one of them a photograph of his erect penis after the decoy accepted a friend request from him.
The decoy replied asking why he had sent on such an image and said she was 11 years old. He didn’t have any further communication with this profile.
In another incident, McInerney completed three video calls, two of them through the medium of Facebook, during which he masturbated. He also requested and conducted a further video call with the decoy on WhatsApp.
McInerney also made contact with a woman who was selling puppies online. After some communication with the woman, he sent her a photograph of his erect penis. He sent a similar image the following day and the woman blocked him.
On Wednesday, McInerney’s case was re-entered by the State due to lack of adequate engagement by McInerney with the Probation Service when he was ultimately released from custody.
The final 18 months of the sentence had previously been suspended by Judge Martin Nolan in 2024 on strict conditions including that he engage with the Probation Service for 12 months.
Oisin Clarke BL, prosecuting, told Judge Nolan that the case had previously been re-entered in May this year due to McInerney’s lack of engagement but it was adjourned and adjourned on a second occasion due to the withdrawal of services by defence solicitors.
McInerney’s probation officer told the court that he has since been charged with an offence of exposing his penis on a train while he was enroute to a therapeutic meeting that had been set up by the Probation Service.
She said there have also been reports made to gardaí in his local village that he has stood naked in the door of his home, on the main street in his village, and exposed himself to women passing by.
The officer told Mr Clarke that McInerney has admitted to her that he was engaging in this pattern of behaviour.
He is now taking medication to assist him in suppressing these urges, she said.
She agreed with Richard Brady BL, defending, in cross-examination that McInerney was attending his scheduled meetings with the Probation Service but his behaviour meant that he was not engaging with the service as he should.
Mr Brady told Judge Nolan that McInerney is doing well on his medication and “his urges have been suppressed” but he added that he does need to be reviewed by his local doctor.
The probation officer told the court that is vital that McInerney is probably supervised in the community.
Judge Nolan said it has to be made clear to McInerney that “he cannot offend in this way” anymore but acknowledged that his medication seems to be helping him.
He remanded McInerney in custody and adjourned the case for three weeks.
Judge Nolan indicated that he may re-activate the balance of the sentence at that point but suspend it again so McInerney is under strict supervision.
ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FROM MARCH 2024 SENTENCE HEARING
Gardaí were told that McInerney had been in communication with two people who he believed were 14-year-old girls. Two women had set up decoy Facebook profiles and McInerney had made contact with both girls online.
The UK group had set up a meeting with McInerney and had alerted gardaí to the fact that the meeting was taking place.
Det Gda O’Reilly said McInerney was arrested that day and his phone was seized and analysed.
She said it was clear from analysis of the phone that McInerney had sent a friend request to one of the decoys, who had clearly identified herself as a 14-year-old girl. He sent the friend request and then forwarded a photograph of his erect penis.
The decoy replied asking why he had sent on such an image and said she was 11 years old. He didn’t have any further communication with this profile.
On February 27, 2023, he made contact with the second decoy, who had also been set up as the profile of a 14-year-old girl on Facebook.
In this instance McInerney completed three video calls, two of them through the medium of Facebook, during which he masturbated. He also requested and conducted a further video call with the decoy on WhatsApp.
Det Gda O’Reilly confirmed that the videos were recorded and handed to gardaí. The face of the person who had taken McInerney’s calls was not shown during the video.
In another incident McInerney made contact with a woman who was selling puppies online. After some communication with the woman, he sent her a photograph of his erect penis. He sent a similar image the following day and the woman blocked him.
The woman never made a complaint to gardaí and the offence was only discovered when the gardaí carried out the analysis on McInerney’s phone.
Det Gda O’Reilly agreed with Mr Brady that McInerney made full admissions and provided gardaí with his passwords and any nicknames he used on his various social media accounts.
It was further accepted that he no longer uses Facebook nor does he own a smartphone.
Mr Brady said that a report from the Probation Service indicated a willingness to work with McInerney and outlined a number of recommended courses he could engage with.
Judge Nolan said that McInerney had responded to decoys when it was apparent that they were very young. He described the communication between them as “obscene in nature” and noted that McInerney had engaged in similar conduct with an adult woman.
He accepted that there was good mitigation in the case and there was hope for rehabilitation for McInerney but added, “he undoubtedly deserves to go to prison”.
Judge Nolan sentenced McInerney to three years in prison with the final 18 months suspended on strict conditions.