PROMINENT journalist and author Tom Humphries will be sentenced for sexual offences against a child next month.

He pleaded guilty to six sex offences last March, but could not be named until now.

Other charges against him, in relation to a different allegation, were dropped today.

Prosecution counsel Shane Costelloe SC told judge Karen O’Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court he had been instructed to enter a nolle prosequi in relation to those charges.

The judge fixed a date for the sentencing of Mr Humphries, a former Irish Times journalist, for July 26.

The sentencing hearing is expected to last half a day.

Mr Humphries was in court this morning but did not speak during the brief hearing.

His counsel, Hugh Hartnett SC, said he would require “a little time” to prepare for the sentencing hearing.

Last March, the 54-year-old admitted to six charges when he was arraigned.

Two of the charges related to the accused engaging in a sexual act with a girl under the age of 17 on dates in 2010 and 2011.

The sexual acts occurred at an apartment in Dublin.

The other four charges admitted by him were of sexually exploiting the same child by inviting her to engage or participate in a sexually explicit, indecent or obscene act on dates in 2010 and 2011.

At that hearing Mr Humphries only spoke in court to say “guilty” after each of the six charges was put to him.

A number of other charges on the indictment are to be taken into account when he is being sentenced.

No evidence has been heard yet regarding the circumstances of the offences.

These details are expected to be disclosed at the sentencing hearing.

Online Editors