Former HSE manager appears in court for sharing child sexual abuse images

Peter O’Malley, a former HSE manager from Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, appeared in court after sharing child sexual abuse images on the Kik platform. The FBI alerted Irish authorities in May 2021, leading to a search of his home and the seizure of multiple devices. Detective Garda Paula Griffin reported that O’Malley’s personal phone contained over 128,000 images, with about 70% being pornographic. Some images depicted children as young as three being abused, with visible distress. O’Malley, who organized vaccine clinics during the Covid pandemic, was suspended in May 2022 and resigned earlier this year. Sentencing is set for November 25, with O’Malley remanded in custody.