A man who arranged for a woman to engage in an act of bestiality with his dog has been given a three-year suspended jail term.
Seán McDonnell (58), Churchill Meadows, Raheen, Limerick, pleaded guilty to one count of buggery with a German Shepherd-type dog, on October 7th, 2008.
The woman died hours after she had committed a sexual act with the animal.
Before imposing sentence at Limerick Circuit Court yesterday, Judge Carroll Moran said acts of bestiality were “socially repugnant . . . even in these tolerant times”.
It was also “quite shocking” that a computer belonging to McDonnell showed 1.5 million hits to a bestiality website over a five-month period.
Notwithstanding “the disgusting nature of the offence”, the judge did not think an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.
McDonnell’s guilty plea was a great relief to her relatives, he added, and he had sought immediate medical help when he saw there was a problem.
The woman was “a willing participant and her death was not anticipated” .
Isobel Kennedy SC, for McDonnell, said her client had been forced to emigrate because of the publicity.