A child sex offender who targeted schoolboys outside a west of Ireland school was jailed yesterday.

The offender loitered outside a secondary school in the west, in an effort to get the names of boys so he could ‘catfish’ them on social media for sexual purposes.

He was handed a five-year prison sentence, with the final two years suspended, when he appeared for sentencing at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.

The convicted man, told gardai when interviewed he was sexually addicted to young boys and “could not help himself”.

When he appeared for sentencing at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Eoin Garavan made an ‘in camera’ ruling in order to protect the identities of the victims.

Charges were brought against the defendant under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 – obtaining or providing a child (under 17) for the purposes of sexual exploitation and the use of information and communications technology to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child.

State prosecutor Patrick Reynolds informed the court that when the case first came before the court last October the defendant was indicted on eleven counts.

He had pleaded guilty to three counts and had been in custody since May 10 last.

The victims in the case were three teenage boys, aged between 14 and 17.

A garda gave evidence that the man had been loitering outside a secondary school trying to get the names of young boys so he could contact them on social media for the purposes of his sexual gratification.

A garda witness described the activities of the man as ‘catfishing’ (the setting up of a fake online profile in order to trick people).

Defence counsel Desmond Dockery said his client’s moral culpability was tempered by intellectual challenges, isolation and coming to terms with his own sexuality.

The court heard that the defendant had a previous conviction for possession of child sexual material and had previously served a 12 month prison term for possession of child sexual material.

Imposing a total prison sentence of five years with the final two years suspended, the judge made it a condition of him suspending part of the sentences, that the convicted man while in prison participate in the Building Better Lives (BBL) sex offender programme and Safer Lives Treatment Programme as well as other prison courses.