Tinder to receive an official request, lodged through the US Justice Department, to provide details as to how convicted rapist and killer Ian Horgan applied to join the dating app
Convicted killer Ian Horgan outside court in Macroom today. He was previously jailed for the rape and killing of beautician Rachel Kiely in 2002.
Wed, 03 Nov, 2021 – 17:55
Tinder is to receive an official request, lodged through the US Justice Department, to provide details as to how convicted rapist and killer Ian Horgan applied to join the dating app, with a court hearing the process may take up to eight months.
Horgan, aged 37, and with an address at 53 Byrne Avenue, Prospect in Co Limerick, has denied a breach of the Sex Offenders Act 2001, after gardaí alleged that between May 24 and 31 last he failed to notify them of a name – Cian – that he was using on the app that had not been previously notified.
Horgan, who was previously jailed for the rape and killing of beautician Rachel Kiely in 2002, maintains that an error with his phone led to the name ‘Cian’ being entered in error during the application process to join Tinder.
He appeared before Macroom District Court after an arrest warrant had been issued for him on October 20 when he failed to appear in court. He told Judge James McNulty that he didn’t have a phone and got his dates mixed up.
Eight months
His solicitor, Sean Cahill, said since that last court date he had been provided with the response gardaí received from Tinder regarding access to records related to the application process, which gardaí are seeking with the consent of Horgan.
However, in its response to gardaí Tinder indicated that the central authority here would need to request such records through their counterparts in the US. Mr Cahill said this would be the Office of International Affairs in the US Department of Justice.
Sgt Trish O’Sullivan said: “If it is going down that road they are saying it could take anything up to eight months.”
Judge McNulty said: “Tinder is outside the jurisdiction of this humble court”, and said a formal request be submitted as the defence in the case wish to see it. “If it takes time now, then it takes time,” he said.
The court heard again that the phone used in the application process has been lost. Judge McNulty also said that an offer of evidence regarding the application process by a computer forensic expert in An Garda Siochana would not be “entirely independent”.
Horgan was released on bail to appear before the court again on May 4 next.
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