David Raleigh
Paedophile badminton champion Timmy Duggan was jailed for seven years today for a string of sexual offences against women including paid mothers to access their kids for his own “deplorable” sexual gratification.
Timmy Duggan, (35), of Mountain Lodge, Annagh, Tralee, Co Kerry, originally from Moyvane, also tried to directly solicit sex acts from young children by offering them lollipops and cash.
Duggan’s own barrister, Mark Nicholas, described his actions as “absolutely despicable”.
One mother, who admired selling naked photos of her children to Duggan, was also jailed for three years with the final 18 months suspended.
She and Duggan have both been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Duggan was previously returned for trial on 47 sexual offences against children, however the State accepted a plea to 22 offences ranging from child sexual assault, child sexual exploitation, inciting children to engage in a sexual act, possessing naked images of children and encouraging others, including the victim’s mothers, to produce “child pornography”.
The offences occurred at locations in Limerick and in Kerry on dates between 2015 and 2021. Duggan was represented in court by solicitor Eimear Griffin, of Padraig O’Connell Solicitors Killarney, who instructed junior counsel Katie O’Connell BL, and senior counsel Mark Nicholas.
Previous hearing
A sentencing hearing at Tralee Circuit Court previously heard that Duggan’s downfall began while he was working as a supermarket manager in Limerick in 2016.
Gardaí were alerted after the father of two young girls discovered inappropriate messages Duggan had sent the girls via Snapchat.
Duggan voluntarily presented himself at a Garda station and admitted he had “groomed” the two innocent girls before asking them to send him naked images of themselves via their mobile phones.
Duggan went on to divulge further offences to gardaí which the court heard “critical” to at least two of four separate Garda investigations into his sexual crimes against children.
On foot of Duggan’s disclosures, Gardaí arrested a Kerry mother who admitted taking naked photos of her young son and daughter and selling the images to Duggan.
The woman’s barrister told the sentencing hearing said the woman was psychologically and financially “vulnerable” after her partner died.
The barrister said the woman met Duggan on a dating app and was initially “selling herself” to Duggan for sex.
“She moved from selling herself to exploiting her children for financial gain. She will have to live with the stigma and burden of what she has done for the rest of her life” the barrister said.
Guilty pleas
The woman was returned for trial on 26 counts but the state accepted her guilty pleas to seven counts of sexually exploiting her son and daughter to Duggan for money.
Duggan paid her €3,500 for a total of 19 naked images of her children, the court heard.
Gardaí discovered 19 individual electronic payments from Duggan’s bank account to the woman’s account in amounts ranging from €50 to €300.
The woman’s children are in the care of Tusla, however she is receiving supervised visits with them.
The woman’s barrister said her two children have indicated to social workers that they want to have a relationship with their mother in the future.
The woman, in her 30s, recently met her children and gave a “full disclosure” of what she had done, the court heard.
Her barrister previously asked the court not jail her, saying prison “would not be in the best interests of justice or society” and a custodial sentence would “undo” her efforts to rehabilitate herself.
“What we are dealing with here is a very damaged and vulnerable individual”, the barrister said.
Judge Elva Duffy said a psychological report had “concerns” the woman had shown a tendency to “minimise” her role in the offences against her children, and it noted that she had denied telling Gardaí that she had taken naked photos of her children.
The woman’s barrister told the judge the woman has admitted taking the images and selling them to Duggan.
He said the woman has since had another child with another man, they have separated, and the man has full custody of their child.
The court heard Timmy Duggan also admitted throwing a handwritten note out of a window of his car, at two young girls, as he drove past them.
The note included an offer of €50 to allow Duggan to perform a sex act in front of them.
The girls took the note to their parents who in turn contacted gardaí, and Duggan was identified driving his “distinctive blue Jaguar car” on CCTV images at a location in Kerry.
Gardaí discovered a number of similar handwritten notes as well as lollipops in Duggan’s car when they subsequently conducted a search of the vehicle.
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.
In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
