A 21-year old west Clare man has pleaded guilty to posting a collage of intimate images of a 15 year old girl onto his Snapchat stories in a so-called ‘Coco’s Law’ prosecution.
At Ennis Circuit Court, the man pleaded guilty to the offence over the posting of the intimate images in November 2022 when the accused had just turned 18.
The prosecution comes under ‘Coco’s Law’, formally known as the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, criminalises the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
In the case, the accused has pleaded guilty to on November 15th 2022 publishing or distributing an intimate image of the female without her consent with the intention to cause her harm contrary to Section 2(1) and (3) of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2001.
The female teenage complainant in the case was a minor at the time of the alleged offence and was present in court to see the accused man enter his guilty plea.
Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL (instructed by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said that the plea was acceptable to the DPP on a full facts basis.
Ms Comerford said that a nolle prosequi will be entered on the remaining two counts at the sentencing hearing – nolle prosequi is a term meaning do not prosecute.
Patrick Whyms BL (instructed by solicitor, Patrick Moylan) for the accused asked Judge Francis Comerford to extend the legal aid cert to cover a psychiatric report for his client.
Mr Whyms said that his client had engaged with the psychiatric services before he was a teenager where he had extensive engagement with the HSE Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
Previously, when the case was before Kilrush District Court where a Book of Evidence was served on the accused last year, Detective Garda Nadine Keane, now of Roxboro Garda Station, Limerick said that the accused had in his possession a collage of four intimate images of the female on November 15th 2022 and posted them to his online Snapchat stories on the same date.
Det Garda Keane said that one of the images depicting the girl’s genitalia was a Category Two image as categorised under the Child Trafficking Act and Pornography Act.
Judge Gabbett said that Category One would be regarded as the most serious followed by Category Two.
Det Garda Keane said that the images were left online for a number of hours before they were taken down by the man who posted them.
Det Garda Keane said that the female – who turned 18 last year – made a statement of complaint to Gardai and was interviewed by specialist Garda interviewers.
Det Garda Keane said that the case was investigated by the Clare Division Protective Services Unit based at Crusheen. Det Garda Keane said that when charged at Kilrush Garda Station on May 29th 2025, the accused made no reply after caution.
Det Garda Keane said that the DPP had directed that the case be heard in the district court on a plea of guilty only.
At Kilrush District Court last year, Judge Alec Gabbett said that he was declining jurisdiction due to the seriousness of the alleged offences, the categorisation of the images and that the case warrants consideration by the circuit court taking into account the impact on the injured party.
The number of prosecutions taken by the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) under Coco’s Law last year increased by 41.5pc to 75.
The 75 cases taken last year by the ODPP follow 53 cases taken in 2024. Those found convicted of offences under Coco’s Law can face prison terms up to three years in the circuit court.
Judge Comerford adjourned the case to July 31st to fix a date for sentence later in the year and further remanded the accused on bail.
