A paedophile who was recently sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman had previously promised this publication that he would not reoffend. Philip Dignam, a 41-year-old man described as a "monster," was found guilty of recording eight videos depicting various acts of sexual assault on the woman while she was asleep or unconscious.
Dignam's crimes, which took place in 2020, occurred just two years after he received a fully suspended sentence for possessing over 900 images and 13 explicit videos of child sexual abuse, including disturbing bestiality videos involving children. Despite being released in 2018, Dignam continued to commit serious offenses, leading to his recent imprisonment.
After being released from Portlaoise Circuit Court, Dignam told us that this was a low point in his life and that he hoped to move forward. He claimed to be remorseful and insisted that he would never offend again.
In court, it was revealed that the FBI conducted a comprehensive investigation into individuals accessing a child pornography site called 'Playpen' through the dark web. This investigation led to the discovery of an address in Ireland, which was then passed on to gardai. During a search of Dignam's home, he handed over his laptop, where a large amount of child sexual abuse material was found.
When asked if people like him should be locked up, Dignam responded that it was up to the court to decide. He mentioned that he needed to take a road for retribution and his own mental health. When questioned about whether he felt sympathy for others in his situation, he said that people in similar circumstances need help and that society should look at this issue more closely. However, when asked if he believed those who harm children should face harsher punishment, he agreed that it was much more serious.
Dignam was unable to answer whether he considered himself to be attracted to children or a paedophile, stating that he did not know how to respond.
During the trial, Garda John Masterson of Portlaoise Garda Station was cross-examined by State Barrister John William Fennelly BL. The court heard that the offence occurred on May 17, 2016, following an FBI investigation into the 'Playpen' website. The website, accessible via the dark web, was tracked by the FBI until March 4, 2015. During this time, approximately 500,000 subscribers were identified, one of whom was traced to an address in Portlaoise.
Garda Masterson contacted Dignam and asked him to present himself at Portlaoise Garda Station with his laptop, which he did. The laptop was later analyzed by the Computer Crimes Investigation Unit, revealing 946 images of child pornography on the device. These images depicted children under the age of 17 engaged in sexual activity with other children and adults, as well as images showing children's genitalia.
Later, during the proceedings, it was revealed that some of the materials contained disturbing content of children in inappropriate circumstances with animals.
Dignam admitted to downloading the images from the dark web and accessing the site regularly. At the time of sentencing, Judge Keenan Johnson acknowledged that Dignam had brought the situation upon himself but noted his remorse. He also highlighted the increased accessibility to such material in modern society.
Despite this, Dignam was soon back in trouble for sexually assaulting Kathleen Morris. The case went through multiple trials due to issues with video evidence before he was finally sentenced last week.
Garda Jessica Hargadon stated that Ms. Morris and Dignam had a consensual relationship and met at hotel rooms. Mr. Justice Burns noted that the recordings showed Ms. Morris was asleep at the time, and Dignam committed the offences for his own sexual gratification. He acknowledged the impact on Ms. Morris, who was extremely stressed during previous hearings.
Dignam claimed that Ms. Morris had consented and that he had filmed her pretending to be asleep as part of role-playing. However, Mr. Justice Burns emphasized that Dignam had gone beyond what was consented to and committed violations when the woman was not conscious.
The judge noted that Dignam’s co-operation with the investigation was valuable, even though it was late. He imposed an eight-year prison sentence, suspending the final year on strict conditions, including three years of engagement with the Probation Service.
Ms. Morris chose to waive her anonymity to allow Dignam to be named in reporting, hoping it might encourage others to come forward.
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