A 39-year-old convicted sex offender from Belleek has been handed a three-year sentence at Dungannon Crown Court after being caught with hundreds of Category A child sexual abuse images across thousands of Telegram channels while attending a relapse prevention course.
Alun Cleary, of Main Street, Belleek, County Fermanagh, appeared for sentence on 20 October 2026 following a digital monitoring operation conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The prosecution detailed that Cleary was serving the licence period of an earlier custodial sentence for child sexual offences when he began acquiring illegal material again. His illicit digital activities commenced in January 2023 and continued until June 2025, operating for approximately nine months unhindered.
The court heard that Cleary engaged in this conduct while actively participating in the Probation Board’s Horizon Programme—a specialist cognitive behavioural intervention specifically designed to prevent sexual reoffending. Cleary completed the rehabilitation course just two weeks before police intervened.
During a routine public protection monitoring inspection of Cleary’s mobile handset, officers uncovered evidence of extensive illicit networking. The device was linked to 8,800 Telegram groups and contained more than 55,000 separate message threads, revealing persistent reciprocal sharing of abuse material with international users.
A forensic analysis carried out on the seized hardware recovered:
250 Category A indecent images of children (the most severe evidential grading)
227 Category B indecent images of children
186 Category C indecent images of children
24 prohibited images of children
16 extreme pornographic images
Investigators also catalogued multiple direct violations of Cleary’s court-mandated restrictions. Cleary had breached his Sexual Offences Prevention Order by accessing the Telegram messaging platform, wiping his internet search history, utilising unauthorised computer hardware, using remote cloud storage servers, and communicating with external users under an alias.
Upon his arrest, Cleary stated to detectives: “I don’t know why I do this. I’m sorry. I’ve let so many people down.” The lead investigating officer described the file as “by far one of the worst cases” encountered in their career.
Sentencing Cleary, Judge Brian Sherrard condemned the depravity of the material, which featured acute violence and degradation inflicted upon infants:
“These images cannot just be about sex. They are about violence, domination, pain and viewing the distress of a helpless child. One image showed a naked two-year-old child with a plastic bag over a face and head, a rope around her neck and RAPE written on her stomach. The child was in obvious distress and was reaching out for help. Where, I wonder, is that child now?”
Noting that formal risk assessments classified Cleary as posing a high risk of reoffending, Judge Sherrard handed down a total sentence of three years, divided equally into 18 months in immediate custody and 18 months on licence under probation supervision.
The court also made Cleary subject to a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), directed that he remain on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, and ordered the formal destruction of his seized mobile phone and all associated digital files.
Under the provisions of Section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, all child victims and complainants connected to criminal proceedings are protected by automatic, lifelong statutory anonymity. Publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any details, names, addresses, educational facilities, or photographs capable of leading to public identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Cleary stood convicted of:
Eight counts of making indecent images of children
Five counts of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order
Possession of prohibited images of children
Possession of extreme pornographic images
Sentencing outcome and statutory measures:
Three-year sentence (18 months’ immediate custody and 18 months on licence)
10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO)
Mandatory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years
Forfeiture and destruction order for electronic devices and illicit material
Enforceable post-custodial statutory licence supervision conditions upon release from prison
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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