Dungannon man jailed for possessing indecent images of children

A DUNGANNON man with a history of similar offences has been sentenced to eight months in prison after being caught with indecent images of children.

Gary McKenna, 44, of Meadowvale, appeared before Dungannon Crown Court, where he was sentenced for possessing 20 indecent images of children.

Of these, 12 were classified as category A – the most serious – five as category B, and four as category C. He also faced charges for possessing two prohibited images of children.

The court heard that police attended McKenna’s home on April 29, 2022, to conduct routine checks on his electronic devices, as required under a previously imposed Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) stemming from an earlier conviction.

During the inspection, officers discovered that McKenna had accessed links warning they contained indecent images of children.

In a subsequent police interview, McKenna denied knowing how the images had appeared on his phone, speculating that they might have resulted from his use of Twitter (now X).

However, forensic examination uncovered a total of 24 images, which were later categorised by authorities.

During mitigation, the court was told that McKenna had been employed as a plant operator and had a strong work record but lost his job after his court appearance was reported. It was also noted that he lived with his mother and had been in a relationship for the past two years.

However, Judge Brian Sherrard emphasised McKenna’s ‘concerning record’ of similar offences. The court was reminded that he had previously received a three-year probation order in 2010 for possessing child abuse images in 2006. He later breached this order multiple times between December 2012 and July 2013. In 2013, he was sentenced again for possessing indecent images of children and given a further three-year probation order.

Addressing McKenna directly, Judge Sherrard condemned his repeated offending, “You are abusing these children by watching these images. You have a long-standing, abhorrent, sexual attraction to children, and you have not addressed these issues despite being given opportunities by the court to rehabilitate.”

Alongside the eight-month custodial sentence, the judge imposed a fresh ten-year SOPO, which will impose strict conditions on McKenna’s access to technology and social media.