A former senior Church of Ireland cleric has pleaded guilty at Nenagh Circuit Court to having images of child pornography.
Former rector of Roscrea (Diocese of Killaloe) Canon Joseph Condell was charged with knowingly possessing child pornography of still images and movie files on January 11th, 2002.
The images and files were contained in a folder designated "KNK" recorded in the C drive of a computer.
Condell, who is retired from his ministry and who has resigned from the Church of Ireland, was charged following a raid on the rectory in Roscrea, when gardaí took away his computer and hard drive.
The Garda raid followed a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about child pornography on the internet.
Condell, who served as rector in Roscrea for over 22 years, pleaded guilty when charged.
Defence counsel applied for the case to be adjourned to allow for the preparation of probation reports and character witnesses, saying the reports would be ready by next March or April.
The court heard the Condell had resigned from his ministry and needed time to put certain matters in order and vacate the rectory in Roscrea.
Counsel for the prosecution said that the defendant was now "automatically a sex offender".
Judge Donagh McDonagh ordered that all reports be prepared by March 13th, and adjourned the case for sentencing to April 29th.
Condell is a well-known personality in the Church of Ireland, and was once tipped for the post of bishop of Limerick and Killaloe.
He has been off duty since January 2002, pending the outcome of proceedings initiated by the statutory authorities.
In February 2006, a media action resulted in the High Court overturning a District Court decision by Judge David Anderson to prohibit the naming or identification of Condell.
The four media groups then went to the High Court seeking an order quashing the orders made by Judge Anderson, and claimed that they breached Article 34.1 of the Constitution which states that justice shall be administered in public.