Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
202. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of convictions made under, and the number of ongoing Garda investigations into, cases where the allegation includes a breach of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, per Garda division, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6180/26]
View answerThe Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, also known as Coco’s Law, was enacted in 2021. This Act provides for offences relating to the recording, distribution or publication of intimate images and for the anonymity of victims of those offences; and for an offence involving the distribution, publication or sending of threatening or grossly offensive communications.
The Act creates a serious offence of distribution or publication of an intimate image without consent with intent to cause harm to the victim, attracting a maximum penalty of up to 7 years imprisonment. The Act makes it an offence to threaten to distribute or publish such an image. It also provides for a strict liability offence, with a lower penalty, for engaging in the recording, distribution or publication of an intimate image without consent, with no requirement to prove an intention to cause harm.
An Garda Síochána have provided a table in the attached document which details the information sought by the Deputy with regard to incidents recorded on the PULSE system.
The management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and the Constitution. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy I have sought the relevant information from the Courts Service, which is provided in the tables below, for the period 2023 to 30 September 2025.
