Man Jailed For Child Sex Offences

A 42-year-old man from Derry/Londonderry has been sentenced to nine months in prison, followed by nine months on licence, for a series of child sex offences.

Michael McMonagle was convicted of 14 charges of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child between the ages of 13 and 16 to engage in sexual activity, including penetration.

The offences were uncovered during a proactive policing operation conducted by the PSNI's Child Internet Protection Team. Between May 2020 and August 2021, McMonagle engaged in online conversations with multiple 'child' profiles, aged between 12 and 14. He quickly turned the conversations to sexual topics and attempted to coerce the children into performing sexual acts. In August 2021, detectives executed a warrant at McMonagle's home address and seized electronic devices containing evidence of the chat logs, images, and usernames he used online.

McMonagle pleaded guilty to the charges on 23 September 2024 and was sentenced at Bishop Street Courthouse in L'Derry on 8 November 2024.

Welcoming the sentencing, Detective Chief Superintendent Lindsay Fisher, said: "Our Child Internet Protection Team work in online spaces so that we can catch paedophiles, hopefully before they traumatise and harm children in our communities.

"It is by no means an easy job but a rewarding one when we are able to bring offenders like McMonagle before the courts as we have done so today.

"McMonagle is a predator who was combing the internet for underage victims.

"Let this serve as a warning, we are everywhere. If you are attempting to communicate with a child online in a sexual way, you will be caught and you will face the full force of the law when you are."