Man (20s) who allegedly used Snapchat for sex communication with a child faces further charges

Stephen Maguire

A man who allegedly used Snapchat and WhatsApp to communicate with a child for sexual purposes in Co Donegal is to face further charges.

The man, who is in his 20s, has been in custody since being arrested in the Letterkenny area in July.

He appeared again at Letterkenny District Court by videolink on Thursday for directions in the case from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

However, Garda Sergeant Maurice Doyle told the court there are now further charges to be brought against the accused man.

He asked for the case to be adjourned and requested a body warrant to ensure the man was in court in person on October 6th for the new charges.

The man cannot be named for legal reasons.

The man was arrested in the Letterkenny area in July and was found in possession of five condoms, while “other sexual paraphernalia” was found in a property.

It follows allegations against the accused man, which were widely shared on social media.

The man was charged by detectives in Donegal at 4.07pm on Wednesday, July 16th.

The man was charged that, between July 10th, 2025 and July 15th, 2025, both dates inclusive, within the State, did by means of information and communication technology, namely Snapchat and WhatsApp, communicate with another person for the purpose of facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 17.

The charge is contrary to Section 8 (1) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.

An Garda Síochána objected to bail when he first appeared in court in mid-July.

He said there was “quite a lot of strong evidence” in the matter.

Sergeant Collins said that detectives had obtained copies of conversations between the accused man and what was described as “a fictional child”, who he believed was 13 years of age on Snapchat and WhatsApp.

The man, with an address in the Dublin area, had booked an apartment in Letterkenny for a number of days.

Gardaí also seized other items and documents from the man’s vehicle.

Sergeant Collins previously told the court that there were concerns that the defendant would attempt to flee the jurisdiction and not make himself available to be dealt with by the law.

He said there were concerns that, if released on bail, the man could commit further offences of a similar nature.

The man has no previous convictions and has never been before the court on other matters.

The man’s solicitor, Mr Rory O’Brien, told the court that his client has a first-class honours degree from an Irish university.

Until recently, the man was in active employment, but is now unemployed.

The court heard that the accused man would have “no difficulty” in handing his passport to the authorities.

Mr O’Brien told Judge Éiteáin Cunningham that bail could be considered with conditions attached.

Sergeant Collins said that evidence has been put to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the form of information obtained from the accused’s phone and said that “this is very strong evidence of his communication with what he thought to be a 13-year-old female”.

Judge Cunningham said that she had carefully listened to the evidence and submissions.

She said that the accused has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

However, Judge Cunningham found the prosecution to have established a likelihood of the accused trying to evade justice.

The man has been in custody since and has appeared at Letterkenny District Court on a number of occasions.

Under new law introduced in 2024, persons charged with such offences are entitled to anonymity until they are convicted or the restriction is otherwise lifted by a Court. Judge Cunningham previously directed that a publication order should remain at this time.

Judge Ciaran Liddy adjourned the case until October 6th and granted a body warrant so the accused can be produced in court for further charges.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.