Former Irish Times sportswriter Tom Humphries has been jailed for two-half-a-years for child sex offences.
Humphries was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for defilement and two years for child exploitation. The sentences will run concurrently.
Earlier this year, Humphries pleaded guilty to six charges. These included two counts of defilement of a child and four counts of inviting a child to participate in a sexually explicit, obscene or indecent act. The incidents occurred between 2010 and 2011.
In making her decision, Judge Karen O'Connor said that she gave 'careful consideration' to character references provided for Humphries by Sunday Times journalist David Walsh and former Cork hurler Donal Óg Cusack.
Walsh explained in the Sunday Times on October 8th that he 'could not abandon him' someone who had been a friend for 30 years.
Cusack released a short statement ten days ago, saying that it had been his intention to 'help a human in a dark place who asked me for help'. However, he added that he had shown 'a lack of judgement' in providing the character reference and that he is 'genuinely sorry'.
